Queensland Music Festivals Guide

Festival season in Queensland

From city showcases to forest campouts

Queensland’s music festival calendar stretches from Brisbane touring events and Fortitude Valley showcases to beachside weekends, country festivals, hinterland gatherings and regional events built around local communities.

Major festival destinations include Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Woodford, Gympie and regional towns where music, camping and road trips become part of the same weekend.

YELO follows lineup announcements, festival changes, ticket releases, artist news and the local stories surrounding these events. This guide is for readers searching for Queensland music festivals in 2026 and people planning a weekend away around live music.

Still to come in 2026

Upcoming Queensland music festivals

Major festival weekends, showcase events and live music gatherings still ahead across Queensland in 2026.

August 28–September 6

Noosa Jazz Festival

Jazz performances across Noosa theatres, restaurants, river cruises and coastal venues, including the Noosa Jazz Party at The J.

See Sunshine Coast festivals →

September 1–4

BIGSOUND

Australia’s major music industry conference and showcase festival returns to Fortitude Valley for its 25th year.

Read the BIGSOUND guide →

September 5

Sunny Side Up

The Sunshine Coast electronic festival returns to Aussie World with Pendulum DJ Set, What So Not, Hot Dub Time Machine, Anna Lunoe, Habstrakt, Latifa Tee, Raw Ordio and more.

Read the Sunny Side Up story →

October 16–18

Groundwater Country Music Festival

Broadbeach becomes a free country music precinct with outdoor stages, bars and live music across the Gold Coast.

Read the Groundwater guide →

October 18

Strummingbird

The modern country festival returns to Bokarina on the Sunshine Coast with a large outdoor touring lineup.

See Sunshine Coast festivals →

November 5–9

Airlie Beach Festival of Music

The Whitsundays festival returns with live music across Airlie Beach venues, turning the town into a tropical music weekend.

Visit festival site →

December 4

Ministry of Sound Summer Dance Festival

HOTA hosts an open-air electronic festival across its parklands and lake precinct on the Gold Coast.

Read the festival story →

December 6

Good Things Festival

The national alternative, punk, rock and heavy festival returns to Brisbane as part of its 2026 Australian tour.

See Brisbane festivals →

December 13

Spilt Milk

Spilt Milk returns to the Gold Coast Sports Precinct with Lewis Capaldi, RAYE, KETTAMA, Baby Keem, Maisie Peters, Remi Wolf, DMA’S and more.

Read the Spilt Milk story →

December 27–January 1

Woodford Folk Festival

Six days and nights of music, performance, workshops and culture return to Woodfordia on Jinibara Country.

See regional festivals →

YELO festival picks

Festival guides and stories worth opening

YELO guides and editorial stories covering major events, regional festivals and the stranger corners of Queensland festival season.

Gold Coast Spilt Milk 2026 RAYE, Lewis Capaldi, Remi Wolf, KETTAMA and more are heading to the Gold Coast this December. Read the Spilt Milk story →

Crowd at Sunny Side Up festival on the Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Sunny Side Up returns Pendulum DJ Set, What So Not and Hot Dub Time Machine lead the September edition at Aussie World. See Sunny Side Up →

Festival crowd at Rolling Sets in Tweed Heads

YELO festival feature The festivals still coming in 2026 A road-trip guide to festival season from the Sunshine Coast through Brisbane, the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales. Read the story →

BIGSOUND music festival and conference in Brisbane

Brisbane BIGSOUND YELO’s guide to the Fortitude Valley conference, live showcases, artist announcements and 2026 program. Open the BIGSOUND guide →

Regional Queensland Gympie Music Muster A guide to one of Queensland’s best-known regional festival weekends in the Amamoor State Forest. Read the Muster guide →

Groundwater Country Music Festival in Broadbeach

Gold Coast Groundwater A free country music weekend spread across Broadbeach stages, venues, bars and public spaces. Read the Groundwater guide →

Browse by region

Choose your Queensland festival region

Each regional guide combines major festival names, useful dates, local context and links to current YELO coverage.

Region guide Brisbane Showcase festivals, touring events, winter programs and city-wide cultural weekends. Explore Brisbane festivals →

Region guide Sunshine Coast Coastal festivals, hinterland events, country lineups and local cultural programs. Explore Sunshine Coast festivals →

Region guide Gold Coast Beachside festivals, country weekends, dance events and major touring lineups. Explore Gold Coast festivals →

Region guide Regional Queensland Campouts, forest festivals, country gatherings, town takeovers and road-trip weekends. Explore regional festivals →

Festival questions

Planning a Queensland festival weekend

Where are Queensland’s major music festivals held?

Major festival destinations include Brisbane, Fortitude Valley, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Woodford, Gympie and regional areas across Queensland.

Does YELO list free Queensland festivals?

Yes. YELO covers ticketed events and free festivals, including city programs, public outdoor events and multi-stage precinct festivals.

How often is the Queensland festival guide updated?

The guide is updated as major dates, lineups and festival announcements become available. The latest stories section below updates automatically.

How can a festival be added to YELO?

Festival organisers, promoters and venues can use YELO’s submission form with the event name, date, location, lineup and ticket link.