Just because summer’s over doesn’t mean the festivals are. Below is a list of a few events you should bring your music-loving, 90s-clothes-wearing self to. You won’t regret it.
A newbie on the festival circuit, Pitch takes place on the March long weekend with a highlight on bringing artists from around the globe spanning a electronic music and beyond. Some features on the line up are Client Liaison, Fatima Yamaha, Cyril Hahn and more.
A fave for music fans and musicians alike, Golden Plains is one of the mainstays on the festival scene. If you were lucky to gain tickets via the ballot (and to be paying Aunty Meredith and the Sup a visit) you’ll be seeing the likes of Neil Finn, Nicolas Jaar, The Specials, Kurt Vile and more. It goes down the March long weekend in Meredith.
Another sold out, crowd-favourite, Port Fairy Folk Festival brings acts from all around the world to the humble coastal town of Port Fairy over the March long weekend. Celebrating over 40 years as a festival, this year sees 8 Foot Felix, Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier, Dori Freeman and more. This one is sold out, so you’ll have to be creative getting tickets.
A new festival on the scene, Babylon promises to be a music, arts and lifestyle escape (if the name didn’t already give that away). Held over the long weekend at Carapooee West (in Victoria), the line up features the likes of Ticon, Captain Hook, Pleasurekraft, Infected Mushroom and more.
Heading to North Blackwood on March 31-April 2, Shady Cottage is the little festival that could. Starting off as a party between friends, it has since grown as is fast becoming a fave regional Vic festival. This year features the likes of Sex on Toast, Wax’o Paradiso, Planete, Sunbeam Sound Machine and more.
From March 31 to April 2, Bambra’s music festival By the Meadow takes place. Set with rolling hills, cruisy vibes and great music, they are easily three reasons fueling the popularity of this event. This year get the chance to see The Pretty Littles, Totally Mild, Jaala, Moses Gunn Collective and more.
For its third year running, Jerkfest heads to the Barwon Club in Geelong on March 25 for an audial onslaught of 20 acts across two stages for 12 hours. The bands you’ll be lucky to see are NUN, Terrible Truths, Drug Sweat, Constant Mongrel and many, many more.
Bringing big names Against Me!, The Darkness, The Smith Street Band and more to Bendigo on May 6, Groovin’ the Moo rolls around for what’s set to be another great event. As a festival with a 16+ age bracket, it allows many music lovers to have their first festival experience in a fun, safe environment – and one that isn’t a “nanny festival”. Further proof that regional festivals have the goods.
In what seems to be the festival that just keeps growing, Bluesfest brings acts to Australia that rarely ever see our sunny coasts. This year features Mary J. Blige, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Specials, Patti Smith, Michael Kiwanuka, Neil Finn and more.
With a line up yet to be announced, Splendour in the Grass is always one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. Taking place in Byron Bay at the end of July, a bunch of international acts are already rumoured to be playing. While this is also a festival arguably for the “Instagrammers” of the world, the acts are killer and there’s so much goodness in one place.
Coming from the team behind River Rocks at the Barwon Club, Negative Waves is the newest festival to grace the South Geelong venue. Taking place on May 6, the festival sees Brant Bjork (USA), Nashville Pussy (USA), The Peep Tempel, Dwarves and more take to the stage.
As always, this is just the tip of what’s happening in the music world. And there are a tonne of local festivals to catch in between making it up to these bigger events. Keep up to date with events through Forte, at your local venue or via your music savvy friends.