The vast expanses of Australia hold some of the best locations for stunning music festivals in the world. With a range of festivals catering to different tastes, seasons and vibes, you’re sure to find something you’ll like in the end of this year or early next year.
1. WOMADelaide is the Australian version of the popular WOMAD festival, running in Australia since 1992. The friendly atmosphere, families and natural setting in the Botanic Park makes WOMADelaide the Glastonbury of Australia, with next year’s event running from the 7th till the 10th of March featuring the talents of Billy Bragg, Living Room and Osaka Monaurail with the rest of the line-up being announced this November.
2. Splendour in the Grass makes for an alternative arts and music festival held in Byron Bay with a name inspired by English poet William Wordsworth. 2013 saw a line-up featuring Mumford and Sons, Klaxons, Babyshambles and Australian rockers Airbourne. For years Splendour was a festival for the winter seasons but recent years have seen a shift to July for a much more natural environment.
3. Festivals like the Big Day Out take place across multiple locations in January and February, with next year’s acts to include Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur and the newly dubbed Snoop Lion. Big Day Out had an impressive start to its career when its opening show in Sydney 1992 featured the Violent Femmes and Nirvana shortly after the release of Nevermind.
4. St Jerome’s Laneway Festival began with humble origins in Melbourne 2004, known as a simple indie music festival; now it takes place in Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, the perfect destination if you secure some cheap flights to Australia. If that’s a little too far for you, St Jerome’s made its North American debut in Detroit this year with a line-up including Sigur Ros and The National, and also takes place in Singapore.
5. The Falls Festival which takes place over New Years eve has three line-ups playing simultaneously. This year’s events will see the likes of Violent Femmes, Vampire Weekend and MGMT playing across venues in Lorne, Marionbay and Byronbay, alongside a near-constant timetable of comedy, theatre, circus, music and dance.
6. For an all-Australian line-up there is nowhere better than Homebake, which this year is celebrating its eighteenth birthday which coincides wonderfully with the 40th anniversary of its incredible venue, the Sydney Opera House. Taking place at the beginning of December acts include Paul Kelly, Gurrumul and Eskimo Joe as well as the world-famous The Cat Empire, and will have a restricted number of tickets to create a more intimate atmosphere befitting a coming-of-age party.
7. The similar Meredith Music Festival takes place in its own Supernatural Ampitheatre in a location near Melbourne, celebrating its twenty third year in style with its Pink Flamingo cocktail bar, the Ecoplex Cinema and The Meredith Gift, their traditional naked run.
8. Listen Out used to be known as Parklife, and was an infamous dance festival; it now takes place across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne and considered the antithesis to the large, commercial music festivals. This year’s biggest act is easily Azaelia Banks with additional music from Touch Sensitive and Classixx among others.
9. The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is an early summer chilled out festival featuring the best in Australia and around the world in the world of jazz and blues. This year’s event was held from the end of May to the beginning of June and had events under the titles Explorations in Jazz, Modern Masters, Club Sessions and Masterclasses from professionals.
10. And, finally, we get to one of the largest festivals with the most popular acts in the next six months: Soundwave. In February and March of next year, over various locations in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, Soundwave will bring Green Day, Rob Zombie, Placebo and Korn to the stage as well as promoting local performers with coveted spots in the line-up.
Such an enormous amount of musical variety set across locations of beautiful architecture and landscape means there is a music festival for anyone’s taste – if you’re willing to travel for it!