Australia has one of the most diverse music and arts festival calendars anywhere in the world.
Across the country, in major capital cities and remote regional centres, homegrown and international talent packs festival stages to a rapturous reception from music lovers of all ages. Whatever floats your musical boat, from electronica to folk and everything in between, here’s a selection of amazing Aussie music and arts festivals that are guaranteed to get off to a thumping start. Book your stay for each of these events with Choice Hotels.
Red Hot Summer Tour (various cities)
The Red Hot Summer Tour is a nationwide, four month festival that celebrates everything that’s great about classic Aussie rock. The tour’s 10th anniversary series in early 2020 was absolutely massive. The event saw ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Hunters and Collectors reunite to headline the tour, bringing James Reyne, The Living End, The Angels, Baby Animals, Killing Heidi and Boom Crash Opera along for the wild ride. We can’t wait to see what future festivals hold!
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FOMO Festival (various cities)
FOMO likes to keep things simple: one day; one stage; a broad musical remit that packs plenty of variety; and everyone playing together super nicely. Festival goers in Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland enjoy a multi-genre mash-up of local and international artists, and a relaxed and enjoyable festival experience. Highlights of the 2020 line-up included US six-piece rap collective/self-titled boy band Brockhampton and American singer and rapper Lizzo, who’s been nominated for no less than six Grammys!
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Tamworth Country Music Festival
The world’s second largest country music festival (after Nashville in the USA) takes over the regional New South Wales city of Tamworth for ten thigh-slapping, ten-gallon-hat-tipping days of rhinestone encrusted fun in January. To say the Tamworth Country Music Festival is big is an understatement. It’s huge. Think 700 performers and around 300,000 fans. The event culminates in the prestigious Golden Guitar Awards ceremony. The great thing about Tamworth is that it’s accessible to all. While there are high profile ticketed events that cost big bucks, equally, there are hundreds of free gigs across some 120 venues.
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Choice Hotels has two amazing Tamworth hotels to choose from. Located right in the heart of the CBD, a stay at the luxurious CH Boutique Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection, will make your time in Tamworth truly memorable. Enjoy dinner in the Art Deco surroundings at Deco wine bar and restaurant during your stay. Just five minutes’ drive west of the city centre, Quality Inn Ashby House Tamworth melds heritage charm with modern convenience. Choose from a wide variety of room types, including terrace suites, premier and deluxe rooms, a family suite, and a self-contained apartment.
Music on the Murray (Wahgunyah)
Aussie celebrations of great music come in all shapes and sizes – and in some absolutely stunning locations. St Leonards Vineyard, which sits by the mighty Murray River at Wahgunyah – 30 minutes’ drive north of Wangaratta – is a case in point. In early 2020, the vineyard will stage Music on the Murray – a series of relaxed musical events, accompanied by top local drops and gourmet bites. Kick back on the lawned area and enjoy the tunes from a diverse line-up of local performers over several dates
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Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway is your home away from home in north-eastern Victoria, and a lovely hotel to come home to at the end of the day. The property features a range of fabulously stylish room types, several with marble bathrooms.
Cygnet Folk Festival
Cygnet may be a small place, but it packs a serious punch as the home of one of Australia’s best-loved music and arts festivals. Located just 50 minutes’ drive south of Hobart, the Huon Valley town artfully mixes mainstream with an alternative twist at the Cygnet Folk Festival. This festival is very highly regarded by performers – both local and international – so you can be sure there will be an amazing line-up. Such are the good community vibes swirling around this event, that the locals billet many of the performers in their homes. The programme also encompasses performance art, poetry, dance, film and much more.
Mona Foma (Hobart/Launceston)
While it moved to Launceston exclusively for a couple of years, the Mona Foma summer arts festival is now staged jointly by Lonnie and Hobart. Twenty-five venues across Launceston take part, including the Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery, Cataract Gorge, and the Tamar River waterfront. The festival sees an array of local and international acts descend on the city. This is MONA’s baby, so expect plenty of diversity and some classy craziness.
Need a place to stay?
Walk to many festival events from Quality Hotel Colonial Launceston, which enjoys a heritage setting on the southern edge of the CBD, just a short walk from Prince’s Square. The hotel couples modern facilities with old-world class, character and charm.
Fringe World: 17 January to 16 February, Perth
Perth’s Fringe World has enjoyed meteoric growth over the past decade and is now recognised as the world’s third largest multi-arts fringe event, behind big daddy Edinburgh and the Adelaide Fringe. Like Edinburgh and Adelaide, Perth is an open-access festival. That means that anyone with a show can register and perform. Getting an audience? Well that’s another matter! There are around 700 events scheduled, at more than 150 venues, so the competition is pretty fierce. However, Fringe World is an amazing platform for local performers, which make up around 75 per cent of the acts on stage.
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About the writer
Adam Ford is editor of The Big Bus tour and travel guide and a travel TV presenter, writer, blogger and photographer. He has previously had the opportunity to travel the world as host of the TV series Tour the World on Network Ten.
Cover image: Tamworth Country Music Festival
