Almost Summer Is the New Three-Day Music Fest Hitting Bendigo This November
Cruise into the warm season dancing to tunes from Bananagun, Black Cab, all-female First Nations act Kardajala Kirridarra, plus more.
UPDATE Monday, October 24: Almost Summer has been cancelled due to major flooding in the region, with organisers saying they "are committed to revisiting the concept soon". Full refunds are available. For more details, see the website.
There's something pretty sweet about being done and dusted with another Melbourne winter, and having months of balmy days stretched out just around the corner. And it's that blissful energy that's at the heart of regional Victoria's newest music festival, which is set to debut at the end of spring.
Almost Summer is a three-day celebration of good times and great tunes, descending on Bendigo from Friday, November 25–Sunday, November 27. The brainchild of Melbourne creative agency Hear Them Holler, it's dishing up a jam-packed lineup, headlined by a mix of local talent and much-loved artists from across the country.
Kardajala Kirridarra
Gracing an openair stage outside Bendigo's legendary Capital Theatre, there'll be 16 acts, tripping through genres ranging from disco to new-school R&B. You'll catch the likes of alt-folk singer-songwriter Gabriella Cohen, electronic trio Black Cab, Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung artist Carissa Nyalu and hip hop legend Pookie. Plus, all-female First Nations act Kardajala Kirridarra will be playing their first Naarm gig in over four years, coming in hot from the Red Centre.
Ever-upbeat Melbourne group Bananagun will be helping ring in those summer vibes, as will psychedelic pop act Sunfruits and Mornington Peninsula songstress Suzi. Meanwhile, you'll find DJs like Friday and Joey Lightbulb hitting the decks, and Aplegate, Nadia Phillips and Flora flying the flag for the local music scene.
DJ Joey Lighbulb
Bendigo Vinyl will be running a pop-up record store throughout the duration of the festival, and there'll be loads of local eats and drinks on offer to keep you fuelled for all those big sessions on the dance floor.
What's more, with tickets capped at just 500 per day, it's set to be a much more intimate affair than some other of the season's large-scale music fests — aka, the ideal way to cruise on into summer in a blissed-out bubble of musical goodness.
Almost Summer is being presented in conjunction with new statewide music program Always Live, which kicked off with Grammy Award-winning US rockers Foo Fighters playing to a massive crowd at Geelong's GMHBA Stadium in March.
A full three-day festival pass will cost you $150. Otherwise, nab tickets to the individual days' happenings — Friday night clocks in at $42 (5.30–11pm), Saturday is $82 (11am–11pm) and Sunday will set you back $58 (11am–6pm).
Sunfruits, by Kalindy Williams
Almost Summer hits Bendigo from November 25–27. For more info or to buy tickets, see the website.
Top Image: Bananagun
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