Bucket list beats: Queensland music festivals worth the road trip
EVENT
By Danielle Reckless
Top tier tunes: CMC Rocks QLD | Blues on Broadbeach | Gympie Music Muster | BIGSOUND | Savannah in the Round | Woodford Folk Festival | Birdsville Big Red Bash
Got music in your soul and adventure in your heart? Queensland's festival scene is calling.
From desert dunes to rainforest retreats, our state dishes up festivals as diverse as the landscapes they inhabit. Here, music doesn't just fill your ears – it takes you places.
Forget massive crowds and mud-soaked fields. Our festivals feel more like epic gatherings of mates, where shoes are optional, and good times are guaranteed. The stages might be world-class, but the vibe? Pure, laid-back Queensland magic.
Ready to dance under stars, swap stories with strangers, and wake up to views that'll make every portaloo trip worth it? Pack light, bring your best festival energy, and hit the road to these unmissable Queensland music festivals.
Agnes Blues, Roots & Rock Festival, Gladstone
When: 20 - 22 February 2026
Agnes Blues, Roots & Rock Festival, Agnes Water, Gladstone
Three days of epic sounds in the funky coastal twin town of Agnes Water and 1770? Yes please. Kick off your shoes and let the good times roll with the best blues, roots and rock artists across two jumping stages. Between sets, grab a bite from the food vendors, browse the market stalls, or just chill in the undercover areas. Rain or shine, this all-weather event keeps the party pumping – whether you're lounging back or dancing ‘til your legs give out.
CMC Rocks QLD | Brisbane
When: 20 – 22 March 2026
CMC Rocks QLD, Brisbane
Dust off your boots – Australia's biggest international country music festival is back at Willowbank. The sell-out event brings global superstars to Queensland soil, alongside homegrown heroes ready to make some noise. Camp onsite and make it a legit party weekend with thousands of fellow country lovers. The beer's cold, the music's hot, and the atmosphere? Pure country heaven.
Queensland Music Trails' Outback Trail, Outback Queensland
When: 26 April - 3 May 2025
Where else can you hear soulful melodies echoing across ancient landscapes under skies that stretch forever? The Outback Trail serves up nine days of folk and country tunes that feel like they were born to be played against this iconic backdrop. Local legends mix with Queensland and national artists to create an experience that's about more than just music – it's about connecting with the heart of the outback.
Queensland Music Trails is also dishing up The Reef Trail from 5 – 15 June 2025. Get the details here.
Blues on Broadbeach, Gold Coast
When: 15 - 18 May 2025
Blues on Broadbeach, Gold Coast
Australia's largest free music festival brings four days of soul-stirring tunes just steps from the Gold Coast's famous sands. The streets, parks and venues of Broadbeach transform into a blues lover's playground with a range of free and ticketed performances, with headliners like The Cruel Sea, Diesel, Vika & Lida and Eric Gales taking centre stage. Between sets, sample the cream of Gold Coast cuisine – because good blues and great food are a match made in festival heaven.
Festival of Outback Opera, Outback Queensland
When: 13 - 19 May 2025
Opera under an endless outback sky? It's the mashup you never knew you needed. This unique festival brings soaring arias to historic settings across Winton and Longreach, with serenades under sparkling skies, at long lunches and even an opera ball. Even if opera isn't usually your jam, this experience might just convert you.
Cooly Rocks On, Gold Coast
When: 4 - 8 June 2025
Cooly Rocks On, Gold Coast
Rev those engines and slick back that hair – Australia's largest rock 'n' roll and nostalgia festival is ready to party like it's 1955. For five action-packed days, Coolangatta becomes a living time capsule celebrating the music, motors and fashion of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Gawk at classic cars, learn to swing dance, browse vintage markets, and cheer on pageant contestants – all with the beauty of Coolangatta Beach as your backdrop. Poodle skirts optional, good times guaranteed.
Jumpers and Jazz Festival, Queensland Country
When: 17 - 27 July 2025
Possibly Queensland's quirkiest festival, Jumpers and Jazz turns Warwick into a woolly wonderland each winter. The streets burst with colour as trees don hand-knitted jumpers in a spectacular yarn bombing. More than 30 jazz performances keep things swinging over 10 days, alongside workshops, exhibitions, pop-up shops, street festivals, and a massive bonfire night. Don't miss the country-style breakfasts and swing dancing – they'll warm you right up on those crisp July mornings.
John Williamson Big Red Sunset Concert, Outback Queensland
When: 8 - 9 July 2025
Sometimes the simplest experiences are the most unforgettable. Case in point: Aussie legend John Williamson performing atop Big Red, the iconic 40-metre sand dune that marks the edge of the Simpson Desert. This intimate concert (just 1,000 tickets per night) brings music lovers back to where the Big Red Bash began in 2013. Camp overnight for the full experience – falling asleep under the vast outback sky after a sunset show is pretty hard to beat.
Psst: Big Red Bash as you know and love it will return July 2026.
Australian Festival of Chamber Music , Townsville
When: 25 July - 3 August 2025
Winter in the tropics is sublime. But it gets even better. For 10 days, Townsville welcomes more than 40 world-class artists for performances and masterclasses that elevate chamber music to new heights. The contrast of refined classical music against North Queensland's relaxed tropical setting creates a festival experience unlike any other. Feel free to get dolled up, but keep your attitude Queensland-casual.
Gympie Music Muster, Sunshine Coast
When: 28 – 31 August 2025
Gympie Music Muster, Sunshine Coast
Year after year, music lovers make the pilgrimage to this 50-hectare patch of bushland near Gympie. They pitch tents, pull on boots, and lose themselves in the magic of blues, roots and country music under the stars. The Muster isn't just a festival – it's a temporary town of like-minded souls where everyone's welcome and the good vibes flow as freely as the music across multiple stages.
Noosa Jazz Festival, Sunshine Coast
When: 29 August - 7 September 2025
Jazz and Noosa – two things that just feel right together. For nine days, smooth sounds take over the Sunshine Coast's most famous destination, from The J Theatre to sunset river cruises and pop-up performances in restaurants and bars. Whether you're a jazz aficionado or just here for a good time, this festival delivers.
Brisbane Festival, Brisbane
When: 5 - 27 September 2025
Brisbane Festival, Brisbane
Weird, wonderful, and utterly unmissable – Brisbane Festival turns the entire city into a playground of artistic expression every September. Queensland's largest arts festival serves up a smorgasbord of performances in a month-long celebration that proves Brisbane's arts scene has serious swagger – from music to top-notch theatre experiences and sparkling Riverfire. Stay updated on festival announcements here.
BIGSOUND, Brisbane
When: 2 - 5 September 2025
BIGSOUND, Brisbane
Want bragging rights for discovering the next big thing? BIGSOUND is your golden ticket. This part-festival, part-conference has helped launch the careers of dozens of Aussie artists and bands. Like Gang of Youths, Flume, DMAs, Tones and I, and Courtney Barnett, to start.
For four days, Brisbane's Fortitude Valley transforms into a buzzing hive of new music, with industry pros mixing with music lovers to catch 100+ emerging artists across multiple venues. Dance until dawn and say you saw them first.
Mitchell Creek Rock n Blues Festival, Sunshine Coast
When: 19 - 21 September 2025
Mitchell Creek Rock n Blues Festival, Sunshine Coast. Image credit: Steve Fitchett 2024
Picture this: a natural amphitheatre of Aussie bushland, 100+ artists across three days, and camping included in your ticket price. Mitchell Creek delivers music immersion in the Noosa Hinterland, with alternating stages ensuring the sounds never stop. Headliners like Richard Clapton and 19-Twenty give you an idea of the calibre, but half the fun is discovering new favourites as you wander between performances. Camp under bunya pines and cedar trees with the stars as your night light.
Minden Music Festival, Brisbane
When: 10 – 12 October 2025
Thirteen years strong and still hitting all the right notes, Minden Music Festival brings together incredible local talent in a bush playground that feels worlds away from the city. Free camping right on the festival's doorstep means you can stumble from stage to tent without missing a beat. The community vibe here is infectious – you'll arrive as strangers and leave as family.
Savannah in the Round , Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
When: 9 - 12 October 2025
North Queensland's answer to the big music festivals brings country, roots, rock and pop to the Mareeba Rodeo Arena, just an hour from Cairns. Beyond the hot line-up of international and Australian artists (which this year includes Zac Brown Band, James Reyne and Kasey Chambers), you'll find cultural exhibits, market vendors selling local goodies, paddock-to-plate experiences, and a funfair that keeps the whole family entertained.
Groundwater Country Music Festival, Gold Coast
When: 17 - 19 October 2025
Groundwater Country Music Festival, Broadbeach, Gold Coast. Photo by @groundwatercmf
Country music meets the beach at Groundwater. This free festival floods the streets and venues of Broadbeach with boot-scootin' good times, just steps from the sand. With 50 artists across 15 stages over three days, you can go from swimming in the ocean to swinging your partner round in minutes. There's nothing else like it in Australia.
Airlie Beach Festival of Music, The Whitsundays
When: 7 - 9 November 2025
Where the reef meets rock 'n' roll, you'll find the Airlie Beach Festival of Music. For three days, more than 60 acts take over bars, cafes and waterfront stages across this tropical paradise. Aussie music heavyweights like Jessica Mauboy, The Screaming Jets and Diesel will play under the big top at the Whitsunday Sailing Club, while the town vibrates with good times. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef by day, dance barefoot by night – it's the ultimate Queensland festival experience.
Use this guide to soak up the tunes and epic views.
Woodford Folk Festival, Brisbane
When: 27 December 2025 - 1 January 2026
Woodford Folk Festival, Brisbane
Australia's largest gathering of artists and musicians transforms a former dairy farm into a magical world for six days and nights each summer.
More than just music, Woodford offers over 450 acts, including Indigenous performances, theatre, comedy, film, street acts, visual arts, acro yoga, and thought-provoking sustainability forums.
Set in lovingly regenerated subtropical rainforest, the festival creates a temporary community where creativity reigns and connections flourish. It's the perfect way to see out the old year and welcome the new – and it’s perfectly family-friendly too.
Birdsville Big Red Bash, Outback Queensland
When: 7 - 9 July 2026
The world's most remote music festival is truly bucket-list stuff. Dancing on red dirt under the Milky Way, with a 40-metre sand dune as your backdrop and Australia's biggest music legends on stage – there's nothing else like it on the planet. The journey to Birdsville is half the adventure, but once you're there, you'll understand why thousands make the pilgrimage each year. This isn't just a music festival; it's an outback odyssey that'll stay with you forever.
Pack your bags, grab your mates, and hit the road – Queensland's festival calendar is calling.
Discover more Queensland music festivals
