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Overview
Live music lovers, listen up. The lineup for Great Southern Nights is officially here. With over 300 live gigs across New South Wales from Friday, March 21 to Sunday, April 6, Great Southern Nights is setting the stage in 2025 for some of Australia's biggest names in music to hit venues across the state. Plan your itinerary right, and you can see a year's worth of live music sorted within just over two weeks.
Perhaps one of the highlights of New South Wales' arts and cultural events calendar, the celebration of live music will take place in multiple venues across NSW (120, to be exact), including Sydney, Western Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast region, along with Broken Hill, Byron Bay, the Central West, Orange, Tamworth and Tilba. So no matter where you are, you've got live music within driving distance.
It also doesn't matter how old you are and what genre you're into. There will be classic Aussie music names like Hoodoo Gurus and Missy Higgins, as well as up-and-coming artists like aleksiah.
And this year, it gets even better – with two outdoor program highlights to its already massive calendar. Newcastle's Midtown District and the Hollywood Quarter in Sydney will offer unique, walkable gig trail experiences. Newcastle will host its Gig Trail throughout Midtown Newcastle from 2pm on Saturday, March 29, through to 2am on Sunday, March 30. Further down the coast in Sydney, Surry Hills' Hollywood Quarter precinct will transform into a haven for music fans from 12pm on Saturday, April 5, through to Sunday, April 6, at 4am.
During the rest of the festivities, Newcastle will host acts like Boo Seeka, King Stingray, Running Touch, Sarah Blasko, Xavier Rudd, Dashville, The Cruel Sea and many more. Newcastle's nightlife is truly set to light up.
Newcastle venues that will play host to acts include;
- Bar on the Hill
- The Stag and Hunter Hotel
- The Hamilton Station Hotel
- King Street
- The Exchange Hotel
- King Street Hotel
- The Wickham Park Hotel
- Budgewoi Hotel
- The Great Northern Hotel
- The Koutetsu
- The Happy Wombat
- Civic Theatre Bar
- Earp Distilling Co
- Jams Karaoke
- The Scholar's Den
- The Rogue Scholar
- The Greenroof Hotel
- Mad Poet
- Bernie's Bar
- Civic Theatre
- Ravella
In Sydney, expect the streets to come alive with big names like aleksiah and Alice Ivy, who will bring their vibrant performances to Enmore. ARIA award-winning Lime Cordiale and Bootleg Rascal are some more exciting acts to join the stage in Sydney's Inner West. Meanwhile, Babe Rainbow will hit up Bondi, with SAFIA and Havana Brown as some other fan favourites that you'll be able to catch as part of all the fun.
Some of the Sydney venues that will play host to acts include;
- The Alex Hotel
- Glass Island
- The Chippo Hotel
- The Lansdowne Hotel
- Factory Theatre
- PS40
- Vic on the Park
- Dee Why RSL
- Jacksons on George
- Pyrmont Bridge Hotel
- Oxford Art Factory
- Gasoline Pony
- Darling Nikki's
- Butter Sydney
- The Townie (Town Hall Hotel Newtown)
- The Beresford
- The Duke of Clarence
- Mary's Underground
- The Vanguard
- Papa Gede's Bar
- The Agincourt Hotel
- Since I Left You
- JAM Record Bar
- East Village Hotel
- Butchers Brew Bar
- The Bearded Tit
- Metro Social
- Trocadero Room
- Jolene's Sydney
- Jacksons on George
- Pyrmont Bridge Hotel
- The Midnight Special
- Gasoline Pony
- The Loft on Broadway
- Marrickville Bowling Club
- The Union Hotel
- Pleasure Club
- Darling Nikki's
- Surry Hills Hotel
- Red Rattler Theatre
- Golden Age Cinema & Bar
- The Metro Theatre
Just down the Princes Highway in Wollongong, The Music Lounge will welcome Olivia Coggan and Emily Wurramara along with the smooth jazz tunes of Emma Pask. Alternatively, Northeast Party House, Satin Cali, WAAX, Sesame Girl, Pyschdaleic Pron Crumpets and Sam Allen will take the stage at UOW Uni Bar. At La La La's, you will find Blistar. For a more chilled-out vibe, head to Anita's Theatre in Thirroul and see Missy Higgins, Birds of Tokyo and jazz-funk band The Cat Empire. Just around the corner at Frank's Wild Years, sit back and relax to the tunes of Mess Esque and Snowy. And that's only a handful of what to expect down in the Gong'.
Other venues that will be taken over include;
- The Prince
- Halfway
- Ryan's Hotel
- North Wollongong Hotel
- Thirroul Railway Hall
- Illawarra Folk Club
- Servo Food Truck Bar
- Howlin' Wolf
- Five Barrel Brewing
- Dicey Riley's
- Heyday
- Humber
- Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine
- Wombarra Bowlo
- Novotel
- Towardgi Beach Hotel
Just an hour and a half along the M1 on the Central Coast, artists taking the stage include The Rions, Marcia Hines, Telenova, Ngaiire, Baby Animals and surf-rock favourites The Grogans.
Venues include;
- Ocean View Wamberal
- Drifter's Wharf
- Mumbo Jumbo's
- The Sunken Monkey
- Hardy's Bay Club
- Avoca Beach Theatre
- The Art House
- FunHaus Factory Inc
- Pocket Bar
- Everglades Country Club
- Warners Bay Theatre
- Doyalson RSL
Images: Supplied.
Don't miss out on this year's Great Southern Nights. Plan your trip and book your tickets now.