Australia’s music festivals keep burning out. Now one genre is rising from the ashes
Exclusive: Cancellations and postponements have plagued Australia’s music festival scene for going on five years now, and at least three more events have been scrapped in recent weeks.
But as rock, jazz and hip-hop offerings burn out in the face of rising costs and changing consumer behaviour, another genre is rising from the ashes: country.
Country music fans are driving demand for music festivals. Getty Images
Music festivals catering exclusively to country fans have surged in popularity, bolstering mainstays like Tamworth Country Music Festival and paving the way for new additions.
Ridin’ Hearts and Strummingbird, which kicked off in 2023 and 2025 respectively, are going strong and just this week Ticketek Entertainment Group announced Longhaul, a new offering with Kane Brown and Kacey Musgraves headlining.
These successes have left many Australians wondering why country music festivals are thriving while legacy events like Bluesfest, Groovin’ the Moo, and Splendour in the Grass are dying.
Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Skipper: mskipper@nine.com.au
RMIT music industry lecturer Ben Green told nine.com.au the old mixed-genre festival model isn’t what it used to be.
“That big ‘something for everyone’ festival hasn’t been doing so well in recent years, compared to the festivals that have a specific culture or identity,” he said.
“Festivals where they’re not just presenting a list of artists, there’s a culture associated with them, they’re the ones that we’ve seen doing well.”
And what genre has a stronger culture attached to it than country?
About one in five nine.com.au readers said they’d pay to attend a country music festival in the next 12 months in an exclusive reader survey.
It’s great news for one sector of Australia’s live music industry, and for local artists like Sara Berki, who went from sweeping hair to playing some of the nation’s biggest stages in just a few years.
Five years ago, Sara Berki was a hairdresser. Now she plays to crowds of thousands. @saraberkimusic
Live music under pressure
Australia’s live music industry has struggled on many fronts since the pandemic.
The cost of transport, fuel, energy, and insurance has skyrocketed, making festivals much more expensive to run year after year.
Consumer spending is also down due to the cost-of-living crisis and 41 per cent of nine.com.au readers said they wouldn’t be willing to spend more than $50 on a festival ticket, making the events difficult to sell out.
Getting international artists like Chappell Roan to perform Down Under is no small feat for festival organisers. Richard Clifford
Streaming data shows that Aussies are listening to local artists at record low numbers, putting additional pressure on festival organisers to secure costly international acts.
Severe weather events like fires and floods are also becoming more frequent, presenting an additional challenge for the many festivals hosted outdoors.
“A lot of it comes down to the financial reality, the bottom line of the cost of putting something on versus the returns,” Green said.
“And when it comes to festivals, the costs side has gone up a great deal.”
Almost 45 per cent of nine.com.au readers believe governments should invest more in Australia’s live music industry to help offset these challenges.
But while the live music sector has been struggling, country music specifically has been enjoying an unprecedented boom.
Country goes mainstream
Once relegated to dad’s dusty old CD collection, country music has become cool again. That’s been a blessing for Berki.
Five years ago she was a hairdresser; now she’s played festivals like CMC Rocks and Ridin’ Hearts alongside some of the genre’s biggest names.
“Country music is sincere. It’s feel-good, and people want that right now,” she told nine.com.au.
Spotify reported that Australia was the third-largest and the fastest growing country music market on the planet in 2025.
Live Nation reported a nearly five-fold increase in country shows booked in Australia in 2024-25, and said ticket sales have grown by nearly 750 per cent in the last five years.
The genre generated $1.11 billion in revenue in Australia in the 2024-25 financial year, and country music festivals specifically employed 15,000 people and generated more than 500 full-time equivalent jobs in that period.
More Aussies than ever are listening to country music, so it’s no wonder there’s more interest in country festivals.
“It is undeniable that country music has gone mainstream, with live music fans drawn to the genuine, relatable storytelling the genre delivers,” a TEG spokesperson told nine.com.au.
“Australia is now one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for country music, and its audience is broadening fast.”
But popularity isn’t the only reason fans are turning up in the tens of thousands.
A Live Nation spokesperson told nine.com.au “festival success ultimately depends on the strength of each event’s line-up, identity and overall fan experience”.
The culture of country
Berki believes the culture, fashion and lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with country music is what draws Aussies in and makes them willing to spend.
She grew up between Bundaberg in Queensland and NSW’s Southern Highlands, so she understands the appeal of the country lifestyle.
Berki is grateful for the country boom but believes it goes far beyond music. @saraberkimusic
“Everyone wants to adapt to this lifestyle in some sort of way,” she said.
“You see people out wanting to be on property, [and] there’s nothing quite like dressing up and putting on a pair of cowgirl boots or like a western hat.”
Unlike the old “something for everyone” festival model, country music festivals are immersive experiences focused on one culture, complete with line-dancing lessons, vendor booths, and an unspoken dress code of denim and boots.
It all comes together to foster social connections, community spirit and identity, according to Green, and those are things many Aussies are craving right now.
Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly prioritising live experiences in the digital age, seeking connection to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation.
One in six Aussies over the age of 15 reported often feeling lonely in 2023, according to the ABS, and feelings of social cohesion and belonging have declined significantly in the last five years, per the AIHW.
Country music festivals offer a sense of connection that may give them an edge over other festivals, and can help attendees justify ticket costs.
“Us Aussies, we thrive on connection,” Berki said, and that – combined with country’s soaring popularity and the culture that surrounds it – is powerful.
Green can’t say how long the country music boom will last, nor how long country music festivals will remain resilient to challenges plaguing the live music industry.
But for now, demand shows no signs of slowing down.
Fans flock to country music festivals like Ridin’ Hearts for the culture and connection as much as the music. Maddison Skipper
Strummingbird will bring Post Malone to Aussie shores in October, Longhaul’s inaugural shows have been set for January 2027, and plenty of other country music events are in the calendar for the next 12 months.
Berki will be playing Gympie Music Muster next month, as well as all three of Strummingbird’s 2026 dates, and a solo show in Tamworth early next year.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that country music is just taking off,” she said.
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