It’s been a bit dry out there on the festival front for the last 12 months, we all know the story of COVID et cetera. But Victorians have stuck through it and now it’s time to party—safely, of course. There are plenty of local festivals to hit up over the next couple of months, so get in the car, get the glitter out, have a boogie and live your best festival life.
April Sun
Take a breath because this line up is big—G Flip, Touch Sensitive, Hiatus Kaiyoti, Cosmos Midnight, Eves Karydas, Sycco, CHILLINIT plus loads more. Over three epic long weekends, April Sun is bringing live music back to St Kilda. The POOF DOOF DAY DOOF is a headliner event bringing big disco energy to the festival, alongside the headline concerts, mini day-festivals and family-friendly events. Tickets are available now so nab yours while they’re still available.
The Details
When: Friday 16 April until Sunday 2 May
Where: St Kilda Triangle, St Kilda
For more information, click here.
Midsumma Festival Live At The Bowl
Australia’s biggest LGBTQIA+ festival has joined forces with Melbourne’s beloved Music Bowl to bring you a soiree of fabulous queer events—the best part? It’s all free. Over two nights, the same line up will be bringing laughs, live music and performances to the Bowl and it’ll all be live-streamed, so no one will miss out on the action. Follow Midsumma on all the socials for ticket info and lineup announcements.
The Details
When: Friday 30 April and Saturday 1 May
Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Kings Domain Gardens, Melbourne
For more information, click here.
Small Town Big Sound
Over six weekends, the Small Town Big Sound festival will be hitting diverse regional pockets across Victoria, bringing some of the best local acts along for the ride—including Alice Skye, Camp Cope, Kee’ahn, Bad//Dreems, Birdz and Amyl + the Sniffers. This festival comes with a purpose, spreading awareness for the ‘pre-think before pre-drinks’ message from TAC’s youth program, Vanessa. The festival will also be dropping in on local schools to run music workshops and inspire the artists of tomorrow—it’s wholesome and we love it.
The Details
When: Friday 16 April until Saturday 22 May
Where: Various regional locations
For more information, click here.
Riverboats Cruising
From the team behind Riverboats Music Festival, the new Riverboats Cruising lineup has been announced for three days of paddle-steaming and live music on the Murray. The mini festival will include eight one-hour, intimate live sets from Henry Wagons, Bob Evans, Jen Cloher and Thando joined by The Horns of Leroy. The performances will be super chill and take you on a sonic and scenic ride. Tickets are available now.
The Details
When: Wednesday 16 April until Friday 8 April
Where: Echuca and Moama, Victoria
For more information, click here.
For The Love
Vibe bringers For The Love are back with another festival, this time in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens. Heading up the bill is festival stalwarts Flight Facilities, Cosmo’s Midnight and Mallrat. Tickets are sold out for this one but you can jump on a waitlist, and you should do so right here.
The Details
When: Sunday 18 September
Where: Alexandra Gardens, Melbourne
For more information, click here.
Grapevine Gathering
Taking the best of Aussie talent in the wine and music worlds, Grapevine Gathering is back for another round. The lineup is stellar, including Peking Duk, Vera Blue, The Jungle Giants, The Veronicas and San Cisco to name a few. This party in the vines is a blockbuster event in the festival calendar so make sure you add it to yours.
The Details
When: Saturday 16 October
Where: 878 – 880 Maroondah Highway, Coldstream
For more information, click here.
Lineups to look out for later in 2021
Keep your ear to the ground for the lineups of these upcoming festivals which have secured dates for 2021. We’ll keep you posted if we hear anything around the traps on Queenscliff Music Festival, Port Fairy Spring Festival, Meredith Festival and Listen Out.
Start your festival season early with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.