There is no time like summer for some good old fashioned festival frivolity. Dancing in the open air as the sun beats down on your shoulders and your mates jostle alongside you is a rite of passage for any music fan. Yet with the silly season well and truly underway already, it can be hard to choose which of our nation’s many summer festivals are worth your money, especially if you are planning a trip across state lines for your festival experience.
Well never fear, Music Feeds is here to lead you by the hand through a plethora of different summer festival options with our Top 6 Interstate Summer Music Festivals, brought to you with a little help from our mates at YHA.
1. MONA FOMA
Image: MONA FOMA 2016 / FacebookKicking things off to a stylish and composed start is Hobart’s MOFO aka MONA FOMA. Hosted in the grounds of the city’s mind-bending Museum Of Old And New Art, visiting the gallery is worth the trip alone really, with the festival really just a big fat amazing musical cherry on top. Organisers dropped an amazing line-up back in October featuring Puscifer and Mike Patton’s new project tētēma, as well Peaches (performing a one-woman show called ‘Peaches Christ Superstar’ based around the famous rock opera), Pantha du Prince, and many others. Thefive-dayy affair looks set to be one of the best Australian events in 2017.
Wednesday, 18th January – Sunday, 22nd January
Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart
Tickets: MOFO
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
2. Sugar Mountain Festival
One of the country’s newest festivals, Sugar Mountain Festival is also one of the most interesting and above all forward minded festivals in Australia. Held on Saturday 21st January at the Victorian Collage Of The Arts in Melbourne, this year’s lineup features something for everyone with everything from pumping Italo and Cosmic Disco from the legendary Beppe Loda to the sweet neo r’n’b sounds of Blood Orange. Also along for the party are some top quality locals including KUČKA and Sui Zhen and many more. The event promises to be a highlight of the summer season.
Saturday 21st January
Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne
Tickets: Moshtix
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
3. WOMADelaide
What better reason to visit the garden city than to check the world renowned WOMADelaide, Australia’s premier celebration of world music. Having earned a great reputation since the first event back in 1992, the festival is impeccably curated and every year boasts a diverse range of amazing artists from around the world. And while the joy of WOMADelaide is discovering new artists, the festival does sport some big names like Phillip Glass Ensemble and The Specials as well as some great locals such as The Waifs and L-FRESH THE LION. Running from Friday 10th to Monday 13th of March, this is one festival well worth the weekend away. Plus, you can win the ultimate WOMADelaide weekend getaway package by entering this competition!
Friday 10th – Monday 13th March
Botanic Park, Adelaide
Tickets: WOMADelaide
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
4. Festival Of The Sun
True to its name, Port Macquarie’s Festival Of The Sun makes full use of its beach side location to offer one of the most sun soaked festival experiences in Australia. Opening right out on the beach, you can actually go for a surf between bands or just relax and soak up some rays and work on your tan. The all local line up headlined by Gang Of Youths and Seth Sentry is very strong this year, and also features The Smith Street Band, Dune Rats, Montaigne and Boo Seeka. Scheduled for Thursday 8th – Saturday 10th of December, tickets are actually already sold out. But don’t despair, as the festival has its own resale service for people with extra tickets, proving once again what a bunch of legends they are.
Thursday 8th – Saturday 10th
Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Port Macquarie
Tickets: FOTSUN
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
5. Let Them Eat Cake Melbourne
Melbourne’s Let Them Eat Cake rings in the new year in lavish style again this New Year’s Day with its matching of top notch electronic music with the lush setting of the Werribee Mansion gardens, just 30 mins out of Melbourne. With a lineup of some of the biggest names contemporary dance music such as German DJ, label head and producer Alex Niggeman as well as old hands like hip hop production legend and turntablist extraordinaire Cut Chemist, Cake – as people call it – is all about celebration and indulgence and sticking your finger up at austerity.
New Years Day Sunday 1st January
Werribee Park, Melbourne
Tickets: Festival Site
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
6. Bluesfest
What list would be complete without the Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival, otherwise known as Bluesfest. Having won festival of year award from numerous different organisations more than a dozen times (most recently in 2015 when it won the Pan Australasian Festival Of The Year Award), Bluesfest is Australia’s leading festival by any measure. Held in Byron Bay over the Easter Long Weekend, its probably pushing it a bit to call this a summer festival, but screw it, I’m doing it anyway. Neil Young is headlining alongside Patti Smith, Barry Gibb, Mary J. Blige and SO MANY MORE.
Easter Long Weekend
Thursday 13th – Monday 17th April
Tyagerah Tree Farm, Byron Bay
Tickets: Bluesfest
Head here for the nearest YHA hostel!
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Find your nearest YHA for your next interstate festival adventure, here.
