Australia, synonymous as it is with the best things that the summer time has to offer, truly is the perfect spot for a belting music festival. However, the sheer volume of festivals, spread across such a vast land, can cause decision making issues. Therefore, we’ve put together this manageable list of our favourite Aussie music fests that we implore you not to miss.
1. Splendour in the Grass
Australia’s largest winter festival (though it’s hardly cold) is a 3-day affair held annually near Byron Bay, New South Wales. Since its inception in 2001, this festival has attracted some interesting revellers, including Amber Heard and Elon Musk. More impressive however is the startling roll call of great artists who have performed at Splendour in the Grass. This who’s who of superstars includes Coldplay, Artic Monkeys and Kanye West amongst many others. Pick a year since this annual bash began and you’ll have put your finger on an impressive line-up. Splendour in the Grass really is Australia’s premier major music festival.
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2. Rainbow Serpent
The Rainbow Serpent festival is more than just a music festival, in that it encompasses art, dance and many other forms of creative expression. What began life as a trance music festival has evolved into a celebration of not just a broader range of musical styles, but also nature, community and spirituality. The Rainbow Serpent festival, which has been held yearly since 1997 in Victoria, is now known the world over as a bastion of the ideals of freedom, love and art.
Find out more here.
3. Strawberry Fields
The much-loved Strawberry Fields festival will be going all out for its 10th anniversary festival in 2018. Held in Tocumwal, New South Wales, Strawberry Fields is a festival with a wild side. Strawberry Fields is deeply rooted in nature. This is enforced by the fact it is held by the bank of the Murray River, in which countless party goers splash around joyously. It is also another example of (like many other festivals) expanding its remit beyond simply music. Art, creative exhibitions, and other attractions including the bamboo playground and oriental tea lounge are also on the agenda.
Find out more here.
4. Wide Open Space
Wide Open Space festival really does live up to its name. On the Ross River Resort, Central Australia, East of Alice Springs, this festival lives in the heart of the outback. This festival also makes efforts to honour and respect the Arrernte People, the traditional owners and custodians of this land. Through its eclectic mix of musical performances, Wide Open Space festival aims to – as it states on its own website – explore “the mental, emotional, social, cultural and environmental landscapes of the desert”.
Find out more here.
5. Return to Rio
Each year in November, at the Del Rio Riverside Resort, New South Wales, the music festival spectacular that is Returning to Rio can be discovered. If you turn up there looking for a party, you’ve certainly found one. A fusion of dance, drinks and the roaring river invite you to have the time of your life. If all that doesn’t sound like enough to distract you, there are plenty of kangaroos and wallabies about to befriend. Who could ask for more form their time Down Under?
Find out more here.
Whether you’re just visiting Australia, or it’s the land you call home, these music festivals would gladly welcome you in. They’re also amongst the most friendly, fun and exuberant ways of experiencing the very best of what spectacular Australia and its people have to offer.
