A Savannah in the Round crowd in 2026. Photo: Savannah in the Round / Facebook.
Savannah in the Round has recorded 23,405 attendances across its four-day 2026 festival in Mareeba, below the more than 32,000 reported during last year’s record event.
The Far North Queensland country, rock and roots festival returned to the Mareeba Rodeo Arena from October 8–11, bringing interstate visitors, campers and Australian and international acts to the Atherton Tablelands.
According to a Cairns Post report, the 2026 event recorded 23,405 attendances over four days, including 5,554 campers across 1,640 campsites. The event was associated with an estimated $12.7 million economic impact for the local economy.
How does it compare with 2025?
Last year’s Savannah in the Round was described as its biggest yet. The Express reported more than 32,000 entries through the gates across the festival, including a Saturday crowd of more than 10,000 for Zac Brown Band and James Johnston.
Against that reported 2025 figure, this year’s count is at least 8,595 lower, a decrease of at least 26.9 per cent. The comparison is provisional: YELO has not independently confirmed that the two annual figures were compiled using precisely the same counting method. Multi-day festival attendance figures may count repeat visits rather than unique individuals.
Major artists still made the trip north
The 2026 festival program featured ICEHOUSE, Missy Higgins, Don McLean, Tyler Braden, Lee Kernaghan, Ian Moss and Troy Cassar-Daley, alongside The Wolfe Brothers and other Australian artists. Savannah combines live music with camping and country-culture events at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds.
Even with a smaller reported crowd, the scale of the event illustrates the role destination festivals can play in bringing visitors and spending into regional Queensland. What is not yet clear is why the gate count differed from 2025, or how much of that difference reflects the extraordinary draw of last year’s headliners.
YELO will update this report if organisers provide confirmed comparable attendance figures or an explanation of the year-on-year change.
Find more shows around the state in YELO’s Regional Queensland Gig Guide and discover upcoming events in our Queensland festivals guide.
