Overview
It's free, it's a summer staple, and it's a reason to spend two days partying at the St Kilda Foreshore and its surroundings. The event: St Kilda Festival, the bayside fest that notches up 43 years in 2024. As always, it knows how to celebrate — and it's enlisting help from Mallrat, Mo'Ju, Bag Raiders, Budjerah, Mark Seymour and the Undertow, and Northeast Party House.
2024's music lineup isn't short on big names, clearly, as split across two days. On Saturday, February 17, the festival is bringing back the First Peoples First program that heroes Indigenous music and culture, which it launched in 2023. Mo'Ju will be joined by Ziggy Ramo, Richard J Frankland, Wildfire Manwurrk, The Merindas and more on the main stage, while the day's garden stage lineup starts with Charlie Needs Braces, Canisha and Sedriece. Saturday's event will span a sunset ceremony as well.
Just like last year again, Sunday, February 18 has been dubbed the Big Festival Sunday, which is where Bag Raiders, Mallrat, Budjerah, Thandi Phoenix, 1300, Mark Seymour and The Undertow, and others come in. There'll be a six-stage setup, with Telenova, RVG, Big Words, Jewel Owusu and The New Monos among the other talents featured.
Alongside more than 60 acts hitting the stage across the entire festival, St Kilda Festival's lineup includes dance, sports demonstrations and workshops, plus roving entertainment, markets and stalls for grabbing a bite — so, enough to keep 400,000-plus attendees mighty busy and loving it over a big weekend.
St Kilda Festival 2024 Lineup:
First Peoples First — Saturday, February 17:
Main Stage:
Mo'Ju
Ziggy Ramo
Richard J Frankland
Wildfire Manwurrk
The Merindas
Eleanor Jawurlngali Triad
Birren
Singing Our Futures presented by the Archie Roach Foundation
O'Donnell Garden Stage:
Charlie Needs Braces
Canisha
Sedriece
Katie Aspel
Pirritu
Liv & The Dream
Birren
Big Festival Sunday — Sunday, February 18 :
Main Stage
Bag Raiders
Mallrat
Budjerah
Thandi Phoenix
1300
Mark Seymour & The Undertow
Singing Our Futures presented by the Archie Roach Foundation
Cointreau Summer Stage:
Northeast Party House
Forest Claudette
Gut Health
Sunfruits
Kinder
J-Milla
Chela
Maya Vice
O'Donnell Garden Stage:
Telenova
Adam Noviello
CD
Titration
Hard No
The Heights
Lotte Gallagher
Goodbye Butterfly
For families:
NV Dance Studio
Riot Baby
Woody's World
Whistle & Trick
Team Dream
Triangle Stage:
RVG
Big Words
Wildfire Manwurrk
The Slingers
Chikchika
Cool Sounds
Platonic Sex
New Music Stage:
Jewel Owusu
Mudrat
Tab Family
Lewis Coleman
Romanie
Mulga Bore Hard Rock
Brekky Boy
Mathilde Anne
Good Pash
Winten
Locals Stage:
The New Monos
The Miffs
Bernadette Novembre
John Wayne Parsons
Tanya George
Bailey Judd
KP Hydes
JHM
Tristan Heath
Louis
St Kilda Festival 2024 will take over the St Kilda Foreshore and surrounds from Saturday, February 17– Sunday, February 18 — head to the festival's website for further details.
Top images: Joshua Braybrook / TJ Garvie / J Forsyth.