The Ten Best Summer Festivals in 2013-14

It's been a tough year for music festivals down under. With plummeting ticket sales, cancellations and postponements, a growing number of festival favourites have bitten the dust. Peats Ridge, Harvest, Homebake and Pyramid Rock have all collapsed under economic strain. Not to mention, the mother of Australian festivals, the Big Day Out, was in hot water for quite awhile after Blur's cancellation.

We might ask, is this just a slump, or the start of a steady decline in the demand for large-scale festivals? Are we seeing a necessary weeding out of the gimmicky blockbusters that have passed their use by date? Some 'boutique festivals' are still on the rise. Event organisers are innovating and reshaping the festival experience, rather than falling back on the well-worn formula of hooking ever-bigger 'white whales'. A trend towards restricting crowd numbers and progressive culture-making has illuminated a handful of remaining festivals, the unassuming gems with a loyal following.

This summer has already produced some fantastic festivals in the shape of Paradise, Inca Roads, QMF and Meredith. Once your stomach has settled from all that Christmas ham, it will be time again to jump on the festival bandwagon, find some new festivals and return to the rituals of your old favourites. Here, we've got you sorted with the best picks from New Years Eve through to Easter weekend.

Falls Festival

One festival that certainly hasn't taken a hit in the popularity stakes is Falls Festival. This year the Falls team is also bringing the party closer to home, debuting in Byron Bay. One of the longest running, boutique music events in Australia, the three-day festival boasts camping, music and arts acts from all over the globe. This year's headliners include (the greatest house band in the world) The Roots, festival favourites The Wombats and the always-interesting Grizzly Bear, as well as some killer local acts such as Hermitude, Big Scary, Chet Faker and Horrorshow.

December 28 to January 3; Byron Bay, Lorne and Marion Bay.

NYE on the Hill

If Falls seems a little too large for your liking, but you’re still looking for a sweet escape from the city, then NYE on the Hill might be just what you need. Brought to you by the legends behind the equally awesome The Hills Are Alive festival, this boutique NYE experience is small on scale but big on good vibes. 48 hours of freedom never looked so blissful, with the likes of Loon Lake, Wagons, Money for Rope, Playwrite and many more dropping in to help you welcome 2014.

December 30 to January 1; 'The Farm' (95 min from Melbourne)

Let Them Eat Cake

Straight up: this is not your average electro festival. Let Them Eat Cake has three distinct elements working in their favour which include an exceptional line up of musical talent, visual and performance artists who will bend your mind (and bodies), and last but not least the Food Rave. Melbourne’s finest food and drink establishments such as Ladro, Storm in a Teacup, Captain Melville and Phat Brats will be providing the much needed sustenance to help you recover from the night before, and to keep you going all day long. Get excited for the likes of Julio Bashmore, James Holden, Soul Clap and Bicep as they kick off the first day of 2014 on the right foot.

January 1; Werribee Park

Midsumma

Get ready for some incredible parties and cracking cabaret at this year’s Midsumma festival. Celebrating queer culture for two solid weeks, Midsumma will entertain and amaze with live music, performing and visual arts, community events and sport. Opening night party Confetti, featuring The Presets and World’s End Press, looks to be a smashing start to the festivities. Whether you’re heading to the larger events like Carnival or Miss Gay and Miss Transexual Australia, or checking out individual shows like The Vaudevillians starring Jinkx Monsoon, you’re bound to witness some stellar performances.

January 12 to February 2; various Melbourne venues.

Sugar Mountain Festival

While the details are still a little thin on the ground at the moment (such as the date, venue and line up) we can happily confirm that Sugar Mountain will be back for another festival of sensory assault in 2014. The Sugar Mountain team have joined forces with the Mushroom Group to take this festival up a notch. It has also been confirmed that Sugar Mountain will not be held at The Forum in 2014, where it has been since it’s humble beginnings in 2011. Watch this space, we’ll let you know more the second we find out.

2014; Somewhere!

St Jerome's Laneway Festival

As we watch many other festivals fall by the wayside, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival just keeps on keeping on. In fact Laneway is going from strength to strength, with dates now being added in New Zealand and Singapore, as well as all the usual places. Organisers have also been said to have been adding in an impressive bunch of tweaks to individual venues, so that you can get from the mosh to a gozleme in record time, or grab a cider on the way back from the toilets without missing half the festival. Laneway 2014 will feature the likes of Chvrches, Cloud Control, Danny Brown, Jagwar Ma, The Jezabels,Haim and the Girl of the Moment, Lorde.

February 1; Footscray Community Arts Centre

St Kilda Festival

Melbourne’s largest free street festival, which has been running for over 30 years, is back once more to celebrate all over the St Kilda precinct. While it is certainly worth checking out the festival over the nine days, the highlight is undisputedly Festival Sunday, where 5 stages will be set up and the streets will be closed down so punters can freely wander between venues. Some of the first acts to be announced include Tully on Tully, The Dandens, House of Laurence, and Lester the Fierce. The full line up will be announced on January 6.

February 1-9; St Kilda

Port Fairy Folk Festival

Eandearingly known by those who love it as the Folkie, this is a great festival for the whole family in a relaxed coastal location. These guys have been putting on wonderful festival after festival since 1977, and all the kinks are well and truly ironed out to give you the best time imaginable. Local legends playing include The Stray Sisters (of The Waifs), Mama Kin, Ash Grunwald, Archie Roach, as well as a strong collection of international acts. If you want to chill out over the Labour Day Weekend, we reckon this is the festival for you.

March 7-10; Port Fairy

Golden Plains

If Port Fairy Folkie is the festival to chill out to over the Labour Day Weekend, then Golden Plains is where you go for major party times. Golden Plains 8 is Meredith Music Festival’s little sister, so expect a similar no dickheads policy, pink flamingos, and excellent vibes radiating from every corner of the Supernatural Amphitheatre. The line up is once again the ultimate kaleidoscope of genres, with acts including You Am I, Public Enemy, Cut Copy, Flying Lotus and truckloads more. We’d raise a boot to that any day.

March 8 – 10; Supernatural Amphitheatre, Meredith.

Boogie

Easter weekend will from this moment on be known as Boogie Weekend due to the outrageously good times this festival provides. Musical acts to look forward to at Boogie 8 include Gary Clark Jr, Pond, The Frowning Clouds, Bad//Dreems, the Day Ravies to name a few. But the fun doesn’t end when the bands stop playing. The Boxwars is sure to be an event of total destruction worth watching, and shaking yo ass at the Hillbilly Clubhouse will be going off like a frog in a sock as per usual.

April 18 – 20; Bruzzy’s farm, Tallarook

Written by Hannah Valmadre and Mairead Armstrong