If it’s not summer yet it certainly feels like it.

With a week-long heatwave hitting South-East Queensland earlier than expected, locals are getting festival-ready, as we officially shimmer our way into the holiday season. Summer in Australia goes hand-in-hand with icy-cold bevvies, finger-licking soul foods, open-air spaces, fabulous new friends, and of course, live music.

Here’s 21 upcoming South-East Queensland music festivals you need to see:

1. BIGSOUND Music Festival, September 3-5, 2024

Where: Various venues, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane

Price: Age 25+ $49 (one night) or age 25+ $89 (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

2. Sweet Relief!, September 7, 2024

Where: Ballymore Stadium, Herston, Brisbane

Price: $49.50

Sweet Relief! is a festival of music, art and performance. In its 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: Kelis + The Presets.

Tickets: moshtix.com.au/v2/event/sweet-relief-2024

3. Mitchell Creek Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest, September 13-15, 2024

Where: Kandanga Creek, Gympie (40 mins drive from Noosa)

Price: Adult $120 (one day) or adult $300 (three days). More prices: www.mitchellcreekrocknbluesfest.com.au

Hosted on a private 100-acre property in the 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

4. Promiseland, October 4-6, 2024

Where: Doug Jennings Park, Main Beach, Gold Coast

Price: $182.50 (one day) or $425.00 (three days)

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/

5. Listen Out, October 5, 2024

Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane

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

6. Groundwater Country Music Festival, October 18-20, 2024

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 last year, it’s back this year with 37 acts and some big names such as Adam Brand, Shannon Noll and Kasey Chambers.

More information: https://groundwatercmf.com

7. Big Pineapple Festival, October 19, 2024

Where: Pineapple Fields, Woombye, Sunshine Coast

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 will see Peking Duk, Golden Features, Tones & I, and many more great artists, help celebrate all things Australian, with a famed fancy-dress competition and the inaugural Great Australian Pineapple Toss.

Tickets: https://www.bigpineapplefestival.com/

8. Ability Fest, October 26, 2024

Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane

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

9. Maleny Music Festival, November 8-10, 2024

Where: Maleny Showgrounds, Maleny, Sunshine Coast

Price: Adult $79.39 (one day) or adult $204.67 (three days)

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/

10. Palm Tree Music Festival, December 7, 2024

Where: Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, Moreton Bay (45 minutes north of Brisbane)

Price: $182.95

Sunsets, good vibes, and epic beats is all a part of Palm Tree Music Festival, which returns in 2024 to provide the soundtrack to your perfect summer. Featuring: The Chainsmokers, Alesso, Gryffin, Austin Millz, Daya and more.

Tickets: https://premier.ticketek.com.au

11. Good Things Festival, December 8, 2024

Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane

Price: Age 16+ $239.95

Australia’s largest travelling music festival, Good Things, returns with a head-spinning lineup 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: On sale August 29 or visit https://tickets-pre.goodthingsfestival.com.au

12. 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: Adult $140 (one day) or adult $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

13. Wildlands Festival, December 31, 2024

Where, Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane

Price: $179.90 (first-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

14. Juicy Fest, January 19, 2025

Where: Doug Jennings Park, Main Beach, Gold Coast

Price: $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 artists 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 in 2025.

Tickets: https://www.juicyfest.co/juicy-news

15. Hello Sunshine, March 1, 2025

Where: Broadwater Parklands, Southport, Gold Coast

Price: From $22.45 (last event price)

After two successful years in Melbourne, Hello Sunshine will make its Gold Coast debut on March 8, with Stone Temple Pilots, Smash Mouth, Wolfmother, Kasey Chambers, Rogue Traders and Drapht.

The family-friendly festival will include appearances from children’s TV hero Bluey, and food trucks, markets, and carnival rides.

Tickets: https://www.hellosunshinefest.com.au/highlights#presale

16. 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

17. 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.

Each Easter long-weekend since its inception in 1990, music fans have flocked to Byron Bay to see 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. Next year, Crowded House will headline the 36th and final Bluesfest (main picture: Petedov 2017) – we’re not crying, you are!

Tickets: https://www.bluesfest.com.au/about

18. Blues on Broadbeach, Broadbeach, Gold Coast, 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.

Home – 2024

Tickets: bluesonbroadbeach.com.

19. Where We Belong, May 17, 2025

Where: Redcliffe Area Youth Space, Redcliffe, Moreton Bay

Price: Adult $45 (last event price)

More than 14 local rock-music heavyweights – with Brisbane punk band Butterfingers headlining – played to 800 people at Redcliffe earlier this year. It was Tribe Clubhouse’s first live music festival and the date has already been set for next year.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com

20. The Big Weekend, Date TBC, 2025

Where: Blackflag Brewing, Coolum, Sunshine Coast

Price: First-release $49 

Nine huge local acts took over Blackflag Brewing at Coolum for The Big Weekend Festival, when 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. Organisers say it’s definitely going ahead next year, they’re just confirming the date. Watch this space!

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/the-big-weekend

21. Gympie Music Muster, August 28-31, 2025

Where: Amamoor State Forest, Gympie

Price: Adult one-day $100 (last event price) and adult four-days $495 (last event price incl. camping). More prices here.

The first Gympie 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. 

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

If you think we’re missing your festival email editor@yelo.live