Australia’s live music industry might be struggling these days, but there’s one constant in the beloved Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Australia’s longest-running festival will return to celebrate all things country music in January 2025. Kicking off on January 17th, the Toyota 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival will last for 10 days, featuring performances by some of the biggest names in Australian (and global) country music.
The first wave of artists for the 2025 edition of Tamworth was revealed in July, with true icons like Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan OAM, and John Williamson confirmed for the festival.
Suzi Quatro, Fanny Lumsden, Kasey Chambers, and Travis Collins were some of the other notable names included in the first wave of artists.
And Tamworth has now unveiled the second wave of artists, adding extensively to an already bumper lineup.
Two of Australia’s most celebrated country music artists, multiple Golden Guitar winners Beccy Cole and Adam Harvey, have been added to the bill, alongside Roll of Renown inductee Colin Buchanan, ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Brian Cadd, local act Aleyce Simmonds, and Newcastle band Hurricane Fall.
And that’s just a handful of the exciting artists heading to Tamworth next year.
Hundreds of artists will perform for free in the main festival precinct, meaning attendees might get to catch Australia’s next big country music star before they become famous.
As Festival manager Barry Harley OAM says, “Having both emerging talent and iconic country music stars in the one place, offering a mix of free and ticketed shows, is what makes our Festival so unique and enjoyable.”
The star of the show, as always, will be the Golden Guitar Awards, which will transform the Tamworth Regional Entertainment & Conference Centre (TRECC) on January 25th. The hosts for Toyota 53rd Golden Guitar Awards will be Max Jackson and James Johnston, two of the country’s hottest country musicians eager to showcase their hosting chops.
The Tamworth Town Hall, widely considered as the spiritual home of country music in Australia, will host some of the most fascinating shows of the festival, including Amber Joy Poulton paying tribute to the late Loretta Lynn, Amber Lawrence performing a medley of Taylor Swift songs, the National Jamboree showcasing the rising stars of country music, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service presenting the inaugural Songs for the Skies.
The Capitol Theatre will see Colin Buchanan and Raechel Whitchurch join together for a one-off show, Honky Tonk Reboot featuring Michael Lehnan, and Birds of a Feather (Sing Together) featuring Melissa Fraser, Jane A Naoi, Goldheist, Brookie Gillett, and Amy Vee.
For those more interested in musical theatre and rock, Rob Mills performing the songs of Bon Jovi at Blazes is the show to see. At the same venue, there will also be celebrations of the music of Doly parton, Keith Urban, Tina Turner, and Bryan Adams.
And that’s really just scratching the surface.
The festival is entering 2025 in a strong position, with recent surveys indicating a 96% visitor satisfaction rating during the 2024 edition. Of those respondents, 82% of them said they would return in 2025.
“For 53 years Tamworth Country Music Festival has been leading Australia and the Southern Hemisphere in country music. The festival is a great example of what we want to see in regional centres across our state – visitors and locals coming together to celebrate home-grown talent,” Minister for the Arts, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham says.
If you don’t trust us, trust the experts. Festival veteran and Golden Guitar winner Casey Barnes chatted with Rolling Stone AU/NZ about Tamworth last year, calling it “the homeland.”
“It’s our Nashville, the Australian equivalent, and there’s so many success stories that have come out of that town. I’ve been really lucky to have been welcomed by not only the locals but the country music community, because I guess a lot of people could look at me as a bit of a late starter into that sort of environment,” he said.
“They really make sure you earn your stripes. You’ve got to put in the hard yards to make sure you’re taking it seriously and you’re not just dipping your toe in and not really fully committing to the whole thing. I think I’ve finally got through to that other side.”
Barnes also recalled his earliest memory of Tamworth.
“My first experiences were packing up the car driving down there as a very, very nervous artist, not knowing what I was getting myself into, playing on some of the smaller stages,” he said. “I remember really clearly playing on the free Fan Zone Stage on Peel Street and a guy who is a local legend in radio there, Ray McCoy – who’s become a really great mate – he was one of the first people to come over and shake my hand and make me feel welcome straight away and sort of break the ice.
“It took away that nervous energy and I felt accepted. He really was amazing on that initial trip down there, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of people like him.”
Tickets are on sale now for the Toyota 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival via the official website.
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