Queensland is truly a world class destination. Year-round great weather, gorgeous beaches, friendly locals, a mellow/ relaxed vibe and topped off with a long list of unique cities to hit up. Plus, there’s a pretty stellar selection of music festivals in Brisbane and the surrounding area to keep you dancing all year long!
Brisbane, the state capital and nestled in the south-east of the state, has overcome its reputation as the quiet cousin of its east coast neighbours Sydney and Melbourne. Now, Brisbane stands tall as a destination of its very own, with the stunning Gold and Sunshine Coasts on its doorstep.
The annual Brisbane music festival calendar is full to the brim all year. Few cities can hold a festival during any month and bank on great weather – but Brisbane takes the cake!
My list of the top 13 music festivals in Brisbane will have you planning your next getaway to the Sunshine State – pronto!
1) St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Brisbane
Credit: St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Brisbane
When: February 2026
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
https://www.lanewayfestival.com
Genre: Indie, Rock, Electronic
St. Jerome’s has been a key player in the Australian festival scene for years, and their Brisbane edition can’t be missed! They always deliver a top-notch line-up, excellent production, and incredible Aussie festival vibes. Definitely one of my favorite Brisbane Music Festivals on the list!!
“St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival is about leading new and revered seminal music. The festival has always been interested in finding what’s fresh and bringing it to unique settings and surrounds to be appreciated by music lovers. The size of the festivals, the locations, and the way we encourage community all form part of the way in which the Laneway team strives to present a live music experience like no other.”
2) BIGSOUND Festival
Photo via Big Sound Festival Facebook
When: September 2-5, 2025
Where: Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
BIGSOUND is your annual opportunity to discover the future of Australian music. Running over four days and three nights, Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley comes alive with a global gathering of musicians, industry, brands, media and music lovers.
Featuruing live performances from emerging artists, industry panels, workshops, and networking opportunities, making it a key platform for discovering new talent and fostering connections within the music scene.
Taking place in September, BIGSOUND attracts musicians, managers, labels, and fans eager to experience the next big acts before they break into the mainstream. With its mix of live music, industry insights, and creative innovation, it’s a must-attend event for anyone passionate about the future of Australian music.
3) Listen Out
Credit: Listen Out Festival
When: September 2025
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane
“Listen Out is Australia’s premier dance music event, bringing quality dance music to four spectacular inner city venues across Australia this spring. Past headline acts include Eilish Gilligan, Reija Lee, DyspOra, Yù Yī, and Triple One opening up, while powerhouses in BROCKHAMPTON, Skrillex, and A$AP Rocky.”
4) Island Vibe Music & Arts Festival
Photo via Lachie Douglas
When: October 2025
Where: North Stradbroke Island
Genre: Soul, Funk, Reggae, Dubstep
“Soul, Funk, Reggae, Dub and Island Culture by the beach…. Minjerribah (Straddie) is undoubtedly one of the most stunning places in Australia, with miles of pristine surfing and swimming beaches, abundant wildlife and the perfect place to hold a music festival. ry year much care is taken to make Island Vibe one of the most hospitable and best loved outdoor events in Australia and to keep our environmental footprint as low as possible.”
5) Jungle Love Festival
Photo via Jungle Love Facebook | Credit – Joshua Tate
When: April 2026
Where: Sunshine Coast, Queensland
https://www.junglelovefestival.com.au
Genre: Various
Jungle Love is more than a music festival. We create experiences and memories that change lives. Bringing together like-minded people to celebrate our differences with love and kindness. Let’s party together as a community! Are you in?!
Jungle Love is a boutique music and arts festival experience established in 2014 and held in the picturesque Mary Valley region in South East Queensland. Every act is handpicked for its ability to excite lovers of music and art, not because of where they sit on the charts.
Each year we pick a one-of-a-kind soundtrack to accompany you as you float downstream and soak up nature’s untamed beauty.
6) Earth Frequency Festival
Photo via Earth Frequency Festival Facebook
When: October 17-20, 2025
Where: Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich
https://www.earthfrequency.com.au
Genre: Electronic, Reggae, Dubstep, Techno, Glitch-Hop, World Music, Progressive, Hip-Hop, Psytrance, Drum and Bass, Folk, Funk, and Down-Tempo.
Out of all of these amazing Brisbane Music Festivals, this one is the one I’m personally dying to attend the most!! The pictures and after movie are simply beautiful, and I can tell that this transformational bush doof community would be so loving and fun to spend some time around.
Earth Frequency Festival is a music, arts, lifestyle and environment festival based in South-East Queensland, Australia, with a strong focus on arts, education and community spirit. While drawing from many genres and cultural niches such as doof, transformational festival, rave, tribal gathering, boutique festival, the aim of Earth Frequency Festival is to go beyond these traditional tags and to exist as a multi-faceted gathering focused broadly on creativity, connection, intention and inspiration.
7) CMC Rocks Festival
Photo via CMC Rocks Festival Facebook
When: March 21-23, 2025
Where: Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich
Genre: Country
The biggest event on the Australian country music calendar
“CMC Rocks has over the years hosted world-class sets from international music icons like Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, and Alan Jackson to Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Dixie Chicks, and Little Big Town. Complemented each year by an array of Australia’s most prolific stars and exciting up-and-comers, including Lee Kernaghan, Travis Collins, The McClymonts, Morgan Evans, Busby Marou, and more, CMC Rocks never fails to deliver the very best of country music to local music fans.
8) Rabbits Eat Lettuce
When: April 17-21, 2025 (Easter Long Weekend)
Where: Landcruiser Mountain Park (150km North of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland)
https://www.rabbitseatlettuce.com.au
“4 Days of Camping, BYO, 24-Hour Sound, Yoga, Workshops, Awesome vibes, & Good music.
“Rabbits Eat Lettuce is a place of Freedom, Love & Dance Music. Come and camp in a beautiful natural environment and form a community of like-minded souls who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life. Rabbits Eat Lettuce lets us be human again. We can dissolve the social barriers and dance together.”
REL has been on my radar for a long time now, and if you can’t tell from their description, it’s a real proper “bush doof”, and everyone has told me it’s truly a magical experience! So if you find yourself around Brisbane during Easter, then you gotta check it out!
Ready for another Journey Down the Rabbit Hole?
9) Valley Fiesta
When: October 2025
Where: Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Genre: Various
“Launched in 1997, the event showcases the best of Brisbane’s music and arts scene, providing a platform for our city’s emerging musical and creative talent. This year sees the festival produced by QMusic, adding a whole new level of quality to the entertainment on offer.
Highlights of the revamped Fiesta will include a ground-breaking visual arts showcase featuring a themed performance stage in Brunswick Street Mall, a special program of active events as part of Activity weekend, as well as unique lighting installations and décor.”
10) Woodford Folk Festival
When: December 2025 – January 2026 (New Years Eve Festival)
Where: Woodford
https://woodfordfolkfestival.com
Genre: Folk
“The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually over six days and six nights, over New Years. More than 2,000 local, national and international, artists, musicians and presenters put on over 438 acts to an audience of an estimated 132,000 people. The festival begins each year with the iconic Opening Ceremony and closes with the spectacular showcase, the Fire Event on New Year’s Day.
The Woodford festival experience is deep, rich and colourful. It is based on a vision of inclusive and creative community, culture and tradition passed through generations, expressed through story and ceremony. The site, a former barren dairy farm, has been lovingly regenerated with over 120,000 subtropical rain forest trees, orchids, ferns and sedges, planted to create a habitat for butterflies and wildlife.”
11) Brisbane Festival
Photo via Brisbane Festival Facebook
When: September 5-27, 2025
Where: Various locations across Brisbane
https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au
Genre: Various
BRISBANE FESTIVAL IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVALS.
“Each September, it explodes across the city with a thrilling program of theatre, music, dance, circus, opera and major public events such as Sunsuper Riverfire. Brisbane Festival attracts an audience of around one million people every year. Brisbane Festival has only been annual since 2009, but in that time it’s been embraced by the city and admired by the world.”
12) Bleach* Festival
Photo via Visit Surfer’s Paradise Facebook
When: August 2025
Where: Various locations, Gold Coast
https://www.facebook.com/bleachfestival
Genre: Various
“Bleach* Festival is the Gold Coast Festival, taking place annually across the city. The program is one of Australia’s leading and most exciting site-specific contemporary arts programs. Quintessentially Gold Coast, Bleach* Festival celebrates the city’s most dynamic and adventurous artists, welcomes renowned Australian and international collaborators and engages a broad audience through a range of events.
Utilising the Gold Coast’s world-famous natural landscape as unconventional venues, Bleach* Festival aims to deliver incredible arts and cultural experiences that challenge expectations, change perceptions and provide a unique and authentic sense of place, inspiring both locals and visitors alike.”
13) Good Things
Photo via Good Things Festival Facebook
When: December 2025
Where: Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane
https://www.goodthingsfestival.com.au
Genre: Indie
“What looks like an event from another galaxy, Good Things Festival, while out of this world, is not a hologram. With key launch sites located in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, it would seem Australia’s East Coast is all well within range of Good Things Festivals sonic rays.
No one could predict such a Festival would be happening in our sleepy part of the Milky Way. But as we speak, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours begin to draw up their plans…to rock out.”
Am I missing any excellent Brisbane music festivals…?
These festival roundsups are always tons of fun to put together, and I honestly learned about so many epic music festivals in Brisbane that I need to add to my bucket list! With that being said, are there any more festivals nearby Brisbane / Gold Coast / Queensland that I need to add to this article. I love keeping my site updated with helpful information, so please do let me know!!
Looking for music festivals in Australia & around the world?
I’ve written tons of articles about the best events, concerts, parties, and international music festivals! Check out a few of these below, and start planning your next epic trip!
- 30 Music Festivals in AUSTRALIA to Experience Before You Die
- The 14 Best Music Festivals in SYDNEY To Add to Your Bucket List
- Top 10 Music Festivals in Melbourne to Experience Before You Die
- The 25 Best Music Festivals in Asia To Experience Before You Die
- 44 Festival Accessories, Festival Gear & Must Haves | The Best Festival Packing List
- The Ultimate Music Festival Camping Packing List
Planning a trip to Australia…?
I’ve personally lived and worked in Australia, and it has has become one of my favorite countries in the world to travel through! I’ve written tons of articles that could be super helpful for heading down under anytime soon! Check out a few of my favorites below:
- THE ULTIMATE SYDNEY ITINERARY | How to Spend 4-7 Days Exploring Sydney
- The Best Melbourne Itinerary | How to Spend 4-7 Days Exploring Melbourne
- Sydney to Cairns | The Ultimate East Coast Greyhound Bus Pass Travel Itinerary
- How to Spend Two Days Exploring Manly Beach in Sydney
- The Ultimate Guide for Moving to Sydney on a Working Holiday Visa
Thanks for reading about the best music festivals in Brisbane!
Share this article with your Brisbane festival squad!!
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