Music Festival Guide (2025)
With a week-long heatwave hitting South-East Queensland earlier this year, locals are getting festival-ready with our Music Festival Guide!
As we officially simmer our way into the balmier months, it’s best to be prepared. Not just for surviving extreme weather, but so you don’t miss out on seeing all your favourite bands.
Summer in Australia goes hand-in-hand with icy-cold froths, finger-licking soul foods, open-air spaces, great people, and of course live music.
Our Music Festival Guide offers the best in local music festivals, from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast. And including Brisbane, from the much-loved Woodford Folk Festival to the “Last Ever” 36th Bluesfest.
Woodford Folk Festival, December 27 2024-January 1, 2025
Where: 87 Woodrow Rd, Woodford, Moreton Bay (40 mins drive from Brisbane and Sunshine Coast)
Price: $140 (one day) or $542 (six days)
This annual music and cultural festival is held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, a 40 minute drive from both Brisbane and Sunshine Coast. The Woodford Folk Festival is one of the biggest of its type in Australia, with approximately 125,000 patrons attending the festival every year. Camping options range from $40 per day.
Tickets: https://widget.woodfordiaweb.com
Wildlands Festival, December 31, 2024
Where, Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Price: $179.90 (first-release) or $241.90 (fifth-release)
Kickstart the new year with your besties as you enter a whole new world with elevated production and improved layouts, including a new fourth stage which makes its debut in Brisbane this year. Allow Wildlands to open your senses to 26 of the best acts in dance, electronic, indie and hip-hop, from around the globe. This NYE at Brisbane Showgrounds will mark Wildlands’ sixth festival and its biggest to date, with extended hours past midnight.
Tickets: https://www.wildlandsfestival.com.au/qld/home
Juicy Fest, January 19, 2025
Where: Doug Jennings Park, Main Beach, Gold Coast
Price: Adult $269.10 (last event price)
Juicy Fest is offering up its biggest line-up next year, since it burst onto the scene in 2023. Juicy is the ultimate R&B and hip-hop festival, and this year brings more than 16 of the most influential R&B and hip-hop stars of the 90s, 2000s and 2010s to Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Jeremih, Bizzy Bone, Layzie Bone, Jay Sean, Twista, Baby Bash, Pleasure P, Bobby V and the Ying Yang Twins are officially confirmed to perform next year.
Tickets: https://www.juicyfest.co/juicy-news
CMC Rocks, March 21-23, 2025
Where: Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich (30 mins west of Brisbane)
Price: Adult $239 (one day) or adult $439 (three days). Click here for more prices.
This all-ages Australian country music festival will host around 28 artists next year, over three stages, and with 16 international and 12 Australian artists. It’s been 18 years since its inception, with CMC Rocks bringing huge international acts such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Taylor Swift.
Tickets: https://www.cmcrocks.com/tickets
Bluesfest, April 17 April-20, 2025
Where: Byron Events Farm, Byron Bay, New South Wales (1.5 hours drive from Gold Coast)
Price: Friday adult $195 (last event price). Click here for more ticket and camping prices.
Next year, Crowded House will headline the 36th and final Bluesfest (main picture: Petedov 2017).
Each Easter long-weekend since its inception in 1990, music fans have flocked to some of the world’s biggest names, including; Bob Dylan, Hozier, Paul Simon, Gary Clark Jr., Angus & Julia Stone, Robert Plant, Alabama Shakes, John Mayer, Jurassic 5, James Brown, David Gray, John Legend, and BB King, to name a few.
Bluesfest sold 6000 tickets in its first year. It now attracts more than 100,000 people.
Tickets: https://www.bluesfest.com.au/about.
Blues on Broadbeach, May 15-18, 2025
Where, Surf Parade, Broadbeach
Price: FREE, except Sunday’s Kurrawa Park Ticket (last event price, $119).
Blues on Broadbeach has previously attracted major acts such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Tijuana Cartel, BOOMCHILD, Melissa Etheridge, Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton, Melissa Etheridge, Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton, but also blues music communities and enthusiasts from across Australia. Last year around 36 artists performed each day.
Tickets: bluesonbroadbeach.com.
Where We Belong Festival, June 28, 2025
Where: Redcliffe Area Youth Space, Redcliffe, Moreton Bay
Price: Adult $45
More than 14 local rock-music heavyweights including Brisbane punk band Butterfingers headlining played to 500 people at Where We Belong in Redcliffe last year. This year, Frenzal Rhomb are headlining! It was Tribe Clubhouse’s first live music festival and the second is expected to be sizzling hot!
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com
The Big Weekend, Date TBC, 2025
Where: Blackflag Brewing, Coolum, Sunshine Coast
Price: Adult first-release (2024 price) $49Â
Nine huge local acts took over Blackflag Brewing at Coolum for The Big Weekend Festival in 2024. Sunshine Coast rockstar Pricey hosted a sold-out show with his mates Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets), The Bennies, Brixton Alley, Chamber Lane, Harlum, and more on July 13.
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/the-big-weekend
Gympie Music Muster, August 23-September 1, 2025
Price: Adult $485 (four days). Kids under 12 free. More prices here.
The first Gympie Music Muster was held in 1982 as a celebration of the Golden Guitar win by the Webb Brothers. It has since grown into one of Australia’s most-recognised fundraising events, returning more than $20 million to community groups and charities.Â
Owned by the Apex Club of Gympie, the Muster has seen more than 2500 performances, including Australian country royalty Slim Dusty, who has a camping area named in his honour.
The last Muster saw its highest-ever attendance, with 50,000 people recorded.
Tickets: https://www.muster.com.au
BIGSOUND Music Festival, September 2-5, 2025
Where: Various venues, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Price: $49 (2024 one night) or $89 (2024 three nights)
BIGSOUND is the southern hemisphere’s biggest music industry gathering with 150 artists across three nights of entertainment. The future of music is discovered here, with the festival giving some of the biggest names in Australian music their start, including; Flume, Rufus du Sol, Gang of Youths, Lime Cordiale, Tash Sultana, Tones and I, and more.
Tickets: https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/cdf8e8f3-87b1-41c3-92fc-3d59e987baee
Sweet Relief!, TBA, 2025
Where: Ballymore Stadium, Herston, Brisbane
Price: $49.50 (2024 price)
Sweet Relief! is a festival of music, art and performance. In it’s second year, the music festival brings more than 12 acts to Brisabne and is a nostalgia-fuelled celebration of dance floor hits, led by the icons behind them. Artists in 2024: Kelis + The Presets.
Tickets: moshtix.com.au/v2/event/sweet-relief-2024
Mitchell Creek Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest, TBA, 2025
Where: Kandanga Creek, Gympie (40 mins drive from Noosa)
Price: (2024 price for one day) $120 or $300 (2024 price for three days)
Hosted on a private 100-acre property the in Noosa hinterland’s Mary Valley, the Mitchell Creek Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest is an adventure-filled, three-day festival of rock blues and roots music. With free camping, two alternating stages, and more than 120 artists, this festival is popular with families and those wanting to escape the city rush.
Tickets: https://www.mitchellcreekrocknbluesfest.com.au
Promiseland, TBA, 2025
Where: Doug Jennings Park, Main Beach, Gold Coast
Price: (2024 $182.50 one day) or $425.00 (2024 three day ticket)
Promiseland is touted as Australia’s biggest multi-cultural music festival, with around 80 acts from multiple genres, showcasing the culturally diverse, invigorating and effervescent sounds from popular Australian and global music. This year it’s over three days. Expect music such as Afrobeats, Amapiano, Reggae and R&B.
Tickets: https://www.promiselandau.com/
Listen Out, TBA, 2025
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Price: (2024 price $202.90)
Listen Out is an annual Australian music festival held in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane, since 2013. With a focus on hip-hop, R&B and electronic music, this year’s festival features 19 acts and is presented by Fuzzy and Triple J.
Tickets: https://moshtix.com.au
Groundwater Country Music Festival, October 17-19, 2025
Where: Kurrawa Park, Broadbeach, Gold Coast
Price: FREE
Groundwater Country Music Festival (CMF) gathers some of the best country artists in the Australian country music industry over three days on the Gold Coast. And it’s free! After a massive 10-year celebration in 2023, we saw 37 acts in 2024 including Adam Brand, Shannon Noll and Kasey Chambers.
More information: https://groundwatercmf.com
Big Pineapple Festival, TBA, 2025
Where: Pineapple Fields, Woombye, Sunshine Coast
Price: (2024 price) $150
The Big Pineapple Festival is the Sunshine Coast’s juciest event of the year, putting the spotlight on the country’s best artists and is major tourism drawcard for the region. The iconic festival, which saw Peking Duk, Golden Features, and Tones & I in 2024, celebrates all things Australian. There’s a famed fancy-dress competition and the inaugural Great Australian Pineapple Toss.
Tickets: https://www.bigpineapplefestival.com/
Ability Fest, TBA, 2025
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Price: (2024 price $60)
Ability Fest is celebrating its fifth year, by expanding to Brisbane. It’s the first of its kind, promoting access and inclusion within the music industry, and is presented by the Dylan Alcott Foundation, Untitled Group and Triple J. With 20+ acts it’s a festival designed for everyone to experience the magic of live music, and is a not-for-profit event, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to the Dylan Alcott Foundation.
Tickets: https://megatix.com.au
Maleny Music Festival, November 7-9, 2025
Where: Maleny Showgrounds, Maleny, Sunshine Coast
Price: adult $79.39 (2024 one day price) or $204.67 (2024 3 day price)
The Maleny Music Festival is an all-ages, three-day music event offering camping, workshops, markets, open mics, bush poetry, and jam sessions. The family-friendly, community festival is run by volunteers and specialises in folk, blues, jazz, traditional Irish, and rock music, with some bush poetry, comedy, yoga, and musical workshops thrown in for good measure.
Tickets: https://www.malenymusicfestival.com/festival-tickets/
Palm Tree Music Festival, TBA, 2025
Where: Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, Moreton Bay (45 minutes north of Brisbane)
Price: (2024 price) $182.95
Sunsets, good vibes, and epic beats is all a part of Palm Tree Music Festival. In 2024, The Chainsmokers, Alesso, Gryffin, Austin Millz, Daya all rocked out at Sandstone Point Hotel providing the perfect soundtrack to summer. Watch this space in 2025!
Tickets: https://premier.ticketek.com.au
Good Things Festival, TBA, 2025
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Price: (2024 age 16+ price) $239.95
Australia’s largest travelling music festival, Good Things, brought a head-spinning lineup in 2024 including; Korn, SUM 41, Violent Femmes, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, The Living End, The Gaslight Anthem, Electric Callboy, Northlane, The Butterfly Effect, Dragon and Killing Heidi.
Tickets: https://tickets-pre.goodthingsfestival.com.au
If you think we’re missing your festival email editor@yelo.live
This Music Festival Guide was created by Yelo Mag. Read more about live music on the Sunshine Coast, and beyond at yelo.live.
