Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy and Jackson Browne are among the international stars set to play at Bluesfest in 2023 – the first time since 2019 the popular Byron Bay festival has featured overseas artists.

After two years of cancelled events due to COVID-19, audiences at this year’s Bluesfest saw Australian and New Zealand artists across five days in April. Next year’s festival, the 34th, will welcome a globetrotting mix of artists, spanning soul music to blues, rock and hip hop.

Veteran blues and gospel singer Mavis Staples, country music star Steve Earle, Jason Isbell, Joe Bonamassa and Lucinda Williams will be joined by Australian acts Gang of Youths, the Black Sorrows and Tash Sultana.

“Bluesfest is presenting a fully international festival experience like the legendary ones we did before the COVID era,” festival director Peter Noble said.

Bluesfest will take place from April 6 to April 10 at the event’s dedicated festival site in Tyagarah.

“While there are still plenty of Aussie artists [in the line-up] … it’s wonderful to once again in 2023, after four long years, be able to bring back some of the greatest blues, roots, soul, rock, hip hop, R&B, world and Americana artists back to our shores,” Noble said.

“We have our largest number of artists ever listed in our first Bluesfest artist announcement … there’s more than 40 of them.”

More artists will be added to the line-up in coming months.