Outdoor Music Festivals in New South Wales

Outdoor Music Festivals in New South Wales

Great Escape

Held at Newington Armory in Homebush Bay Sydney, The The Great Escape is a relative new comer to Australia's music festival scene, with the first festival held in 2006. Showcasing pop, rock and mainstream bands, The Great Escape is a two-day 'live-in' event with festival goers camping onsite. In 2008, the festival has been moved to the Labour Day weekend (first weekend in October in NSW) to allow for a cram packed weekend of bands, camping and freakish festival sights. Tickets usually go on sale online in July.

Splendour In The Grass

Splendour in the Grass is an annual music, arts and youth culture event which takes place on the outskirts of Byron Bay each July/August. The festival site at Belongil Fields is about 2 kilometres from the center of Byron Bay and most festival goers camp onsite for the 2 days and 2 nights of the festival. As well as a great line up of both Australian and international artists, the festival also features local arts and crafts, creative performance and cuisine. Musical acts for Splendour in the Grass have previously included: Coldplay, Bloc Party, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age, Moby, Brian Wilson, Wolfmother, The Living End, Devo, The Polyphonic Spree and many, many more. An extremely popular festival offering only 17,500 tickets each year, tickets to Splendour in the Grass often sell out in under 24 hours.

Freedo Festival

Freedom Festival is a large scale dance festival new in 2008. Bringing together UK, USA and Australia’s best dj’s, bands, vocalists, pyrotechnics and luring creatures, Freedom Festival is all about the total entertainment experience. Freedom Festival has been described as "A cultural fusion of world class dj’s and the total entertainment experience that will re-define the Dance Festival experience." Spread over three distinct areas at Hordern Pavilion (near the SCG), Freedom Festival will include an outdoor wonderland, street stalls, oxygen bar, velcro walls and a decadent VIP lounge. The first Freedom Festival will be held on the last weekend in August and between 7,000 - 10,000 tickets are expected to be sold.

Coast Fest

CoastFest is billed as a 'Blues, Roots, World & Folk' festival and offers three days of music, dance, creativity and diversity. Held on the shores of Lake Macquarie on the Central NSW coast, CoastFest includes: Drum & Fire Dance Circle, an indigenous space, theatre, visual arts and crafts, children's activities, a healing and environmental area, a Tavern, lots of fantastic Market stalls, art installations and a themed spectacular on Saturday night, plus sailing & canoeing. This not-for-profit event is primarily a music Festival that encourages “non-mainstream” genres, such as Traditional Folk, World Music, Blues and Roots, as well as Alternative, Fusion and Contemporary Acoustic Music. There's a range of a range of cabin and lodge accommodation on offer, plus waterfront, and bush camping. The festival is held each year on the first weekend in September and early bird tickets usually go on-sale in July.

Peats Ridge Festival

Peats Ridge Festival is three days of laid back festival goodness, situated in the stunning Glenworth Valley, one hour north of Sydney. Running over New Years Eve, from December 29 to January 1, Peats Ridge rolls together Music, Arts, Culture, Sustainability and Camping. The Festival is a camping event and caters to all ages, with free entry for children under 6 years, and a full program of activities and events for children and families, in addition to the family camping area. Peats Ridge Festival features a diverse range of music from all styles, and is recognised for discovering and presenting up and coming bands and artists, supported by an application process for emerging acts. Previous line-ups have included Lamb (UK), Sarah Blasko, Liam Finn, Blue King Brown, Frightened Rabbit, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, The Temper Trap and many more. The arts program features over 1,000 artists and punters can partake in any workshop which takes their fancy; whether it be dancing, singing, yoga, drumming, juggling and more. Peats Ridge is a world leader in presenting a sustainable event with the whole event running entirely on renewable energy.

Australia Wide Music Festivals

The biggest Outdoor Music Festivals over summer tend to travel throughout Australia visiting all, or most, of the large cities.