Melbourne is the music festival city. There’s something for everyone, all year long. While we’ve said goodbye to some favourites in recent years, the good City of Melbourne is constantly conjuring up more music-fuelled festival activities to keep the walls from closing in.
If anything, there are too many music festivals in Melbourne. If only there was a dedicated guide to help you keep all of them in one place…
Here’s our guide to the best, greatest, and most unmissable music festivals in Melbourne.
1. Port Fairy Jazz Festival
The baby sibling of the widely beloved Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Port Fairy Jazz Festival takes place from 7-9 February, in the quaint beachside town about a three-hour drive south-west of Melbourne.
Port Fairy, Victoria, tickets and info here.
2. St Jerome’s Laneway Festival
Laneway started out in 2005 as a cool, DIY-style festival in a CBD – you guessed it – laneway, and now it’s one of the country’s biggest one-day music festivals. Usually held at Flemington Racecourse, the Laneway lineup frequently draws big international acts, as well as home-grown favourites. It’s filled with underage kids and vape smoke.
448 Epsom Road, Flemington, tickets and info here.
3. St Kilda Festival
According to their website, St Kilda Festival is Australia’s largest free and all-ages music festival. It’s held across a weekend in February, usually Feb 17-18, and features music, artists, market stalls, street performers and more.
St Kilda, tickets and info here.
4. Brunswick Music Festival
Every suburb gets a festival! The iconic Brunswick Music Festival happens across March 3-11 yearly, with a range of parties, events and gigs held across a variety of venues.
270 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, tickets and info here.
5. Port Fairy Folk Festival
The sleepy seaside town of Port Fairy comes alive for its beloved annual Folk Festival. Happening across four days, from the 7-10 of March, it’s all-ages, all-fun.
Port Fairy, Victoria, tickets and info here.
6. Golden Plains Music Festival
Part one of Melbourne’s best music festival, Golden Plains descends upon the sleepy Victorian town of Meredith every April. Held on the Labour Day long weekend, March 9-11 yearly, Golden Plains is the yearly farewell to the summer festival season, featuring a beautifully-curated genre-spanning selection of local and international acts.
Golden Plains Shire, Victoria, tickets and info here.
7. Pitch Music and Arts Festival
This humungous doof presented by Untitled Group is known for blazing heat, dust storms, incredible art installations and big-European-electronic-music-festival-style light shows, stage design and lineup curation. It’s BIG. Expect techno, techno, techno.
Moyston, Victoria, tickets and info here.
8. RISING Festival
From June 1 – 16, RISING Festival will save Melbourne from the grim tragedy that is winter in this cold city. With an incredible lineup of arts, music and culture, RISING seems to get better and better every year.
Melbourne CBD & surrounds, tickets and info here.
9. Woodend Winter Arts Festival
From June 7-10, the hill town of Woodend will celebrate its winter arts festival. Expect a vast array of music events, including free gigs, classical music and choirs.
Woodend, Victoria, tickets and info here.
10. Mornington Winter Music Festival
On the King’s birthday weekend, 7-10 June, Mornington on the Peninsula will host its annual winter music festival, with jazz, blues, rock and more.
Mornington, Victoria, tickets and info here.
11. Now or Never
The City of Melbourne’s “congratulations you’ve nearly made it out of winter” festival, its first iteration last year brought Kelela, Autechre and Giant Swan to the Royal Melbourne Exhibition Building’s hallowed halls. A festival of “art, ideas and technology”, the lineup for this year’s edition is yet to be announced, but it’s hotly anticipated nonetheless.
City of Melbourne, tickets and info here.
12. The Eighty-Six Music Festival
Its first iteration last year was pretty sick, with a bunch of events happening at iconic venues all down the 86 tram line’s route – encompassing Northcote, Thornbury and Preston. Hopefully the Eighty Six returns in 2024.
Northcote, Thornbury, Preston, tickets and info here.
13. Melbourne International Jazz Festival
Held in Melbourne from October 18-27, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival began in 1998, and has been bringing incredible international and local jazz acts to concert halls, venues and jazz bars ever since.
Melbourne, tickets and info here.
14. Always Live Music Festival
Last year’s Always Live Music Festival brought Christina Aguilera to the Sydney Meyer Music Bowl. Bananas. There were heaps of free events, too. Hopefully it’ll return for 2024.
Melbourne, tickets and info here.
15. Meredith Music Festival
Part two of everyone’s favourite music festival. Held annually in December, Meredith is the perfect gateway into the summer season, with an incredibly astute curation of acts, the best facilities, and the best vibes.
Golden Plains Shire, tickets and info here.
16. Beyond the Valley Music Festival
Maybe the only NYE festival worth attending, BTV often has a pretty good lineup, good facilities and multiple stages. It’s more like a five-day-concert than a doof, more like Splendour in the Grass than Pitch, set on a sprawling, hilly green in semi-regional Victoria.
Hesse, Victoria, tickets and info here.
Arielle Richards is the multimedia reporter at VICE Australia, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
The post The VICE Guide to Music Festivals in Melbourne appeared first on VICE.
