15,000-Person Aloha Music And Surf Film Festival Set For Dee Why Beach

The Northern Beaches could be about to host its biggest concert in over two decades, with a new music and surf-film festival proposed for Dee Why.

Plans have been revealed for the Aloha Festival, a 15,000-person event pencilled in for James Meehan Reserve on 6 March 2027. If given the green light, it would be the reserve's first major concert since Vans Warped Tour rolled through back in 2002.

In a rush? Skip to:

• What's Included In The Aloha Festival Plans
• When The Aloha Festival Is Set To Launch
• Funding And Government Support
• What It Means For The Northern Beaches

What's Included In The Aloha Festival Plans

The Aloha Festival is shaping up as an all-ages, contemporary music event designed to bring together the region's music and surf communities under one banner.

Plans point to a lineup of well-known Australian music acts alongside surf-film screenings, food stalls, licensed bars and coastal-wellness activations. For the first time, the festival will also partner with the Australian Surf Film Festival, bringing together two cultures that have long shaped life on the Northern Beaches.

When The Aloha Festival Is Set To Launch
 

The festival is proposed to launch on 6 March 2027 at James Meehan Reserve, Dee Why. Council approval and the full artist lineup are yet to be confirmed, so the event remains in the pending stages for now.

At a proposed capacity of 15,000 people, it would mark the reserve's largest concert in 24 years.

Funding And Government Support

The festival has already secured $100,000 through the NSW Government's Local Audience Development Grants program, part of a $3.1 million investment through Sound NSW aimed at supporting live music events, festivals, venues and audience development initiatives across the state.

The grant reflects growing government backing for regional and community-led music events, with organisers hoping the funding will help get the festival off the ground ahead of its proposed 2027 debut.

What It Means For The Northern Beaches

The Northern Beaches has long been considered light on large-scale live music events, and Aloha Festival is being positioned to help fill that gap. Organisers have flagged a focus on supporting emerging local musicians, alongside a celebration of Aboriginal culture and the region's broader surf heritage.

Should council approval come through, Dee Why could be gearing up to host one of the biggest events on the Northern Beaches calendar in years. Urban List will update this story as council approval and lineup details are confirmed.

Main Image Credit: Aloha Festival | Supplied