Great Southern Nights is fast becoming one of the premier live music festivals in New South Wales, having grown considerably each year by filling the state’s best venues with the country’s best artists.
Now Great Southern Nights 2025 is set to take the event to a whole new level, adding two outdoor program highlights and walkable “gig trails” both in the Hollywood Quarter of inner-city Sydney and Newcastle.
This is in addition to the existing precincts, spreading 330 live music gigs across 17 nights in Sydney, Western Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Byron Bay, Hunter Valley, Orange, Tamworth and Tilba.
These aren’t your under-the-radar gigs either. No cover bands or niche artists. We’re talking world-dominating acts like The Presets, Boy & Bear, Lime Cordiale, Xavier Rudd, Missy Higgins, Birds of Tokyo, Matt Corby, Bag Raiders and You Am I. With street performers, buskers, circus acts and jokers also coming on board, NSW’s various gig trails will be overflowing with the irrepressible energy of live music.
Each precinct will see its major event venues host the big-ticket gigs while various other laneways and rooftop spaces will also be activated in a SXSW-esque style spread of parties.
Organisers Destination NSW are especially pushing for the Hollywood Quarter trail, scheduled from 12pm on Saturday, April 5 to 4am on Sunday, April 6, to be one of the signature events for Great Southern Nights this year. The precinct’s best venues are all busy preparing to host a swarm of high-profile acts with stages set at Ace Hotel, Alberto’s Lounge, Burdekin Hotel, Butter, Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Harry’s, Hollywood Hotel, Paramount House Hotel, Surry Hills Hotel and The Soda Factory.
One major highlight for the newly added trail will be Space is the Place Vol. 2, its lineup curated by scene stalwart Jono Ma with Sydney musicians like Jonti, Sudek and Kirin J Callinan.
All these stages will be within walking distance from each other, operating in a similar fashion to the Bigsound music conference that takes over Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley each year.
Other notable gigs and parties during Great Southern Nights in Sydney is a special night curated by Bag Raiders, doubling as an afterparty for Dua Lipa’s Sydney shows out at Qudos Bank Arena.
Guests marching between these stages will also be able to take advantage of various food and drink specials from neighbourhood favourites Poly, The Rover, Nomad, Butter, Gildas and Tio’s.
Tickets to all gigs, trail maps and more information can be found over on the Great Southern Nights website.
Great Southern Nights
Where: Various areas across NSW
When: Friday, March 21 – Sunday, April 6, 2025
Price: Varies
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