The Ten Best Sydney Summer Festivals

Sydneysiders thought the festival game was over. With plummeting ticket sales, cancellations and postponements, a growing number of festival favourites bit the dust over the last few years. Peats Ridge, Harvest, Homebake and Pyramid Rock have all collapsed under economic strain. Not to mention the mother of Australian festivals, Big Day Out, won't be returning for 2014.

But Sydney festivals have found a new beginning. 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 fish. A trend towards restricting crowd numbers and progressive culture-making has illuminated a handful of remaining festivals, the unassuming gems with a loyal following.

From long-loved film events to emerging boutique music festivals and epic citywide celebrations, Sydney festivals have found a new footing of late; moving from overarching personalityless moneymakers to more niche, tailore experiences. Summer in Sydney is hardcore festival season, so we've rounded up the best tried and tested events in the game this year.

LANEWAY FESTIVAL

Celebrating ten years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005, Laneway Festival returns to Sydney College of the Arts with one of its biggest lineups yet. Returning to the Australian touring circuit is UK on-repeat outfit Jungle, festival jaw-droppers Future Islands and Melbourne's lives-up-to-the-hype queen Courtney Barnett. Two of the biggest hypecards of the bunch, FKA Twigs and BANKS, will fight for the midnight hushed vocal crown. Then there's the ever-epic St. Vincent, punk-as-fuck UK band Eagulls, smooooooth king Flying Lotus, Harlem's top-of-the-game hip hop outfit Ratking and the triumphant returns of Lykke Li, Rustie, Jon Hopkins, POND and crisp-as-blazes Caribou. Kicking off in Singapore on Saturday, January 24 in The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, Laneway will run through seven dates, hitting Sydney on the first day of February. Oh, and Mac DeMarco will be there with his mum, Agnes.

February 1, Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle

SECRET GARDEN FESTIVAL

The most mysterious tickets your money can buy, Secret Garden Festival might be the most enigmatic festival to grace the summer scene. Taking over a sustainable dairy farm owned and run by the Downes family for many generations, Secret Garden sees stages, pop-up bars, art installations, confetti cannons, costume-making zones and a swathe of happy campers bring good vibes each February. Founded as a means to support the Sarah Hilt Foundation — a local charity raising money for suffers of meningococcal — this bighearted festival has been long celebrated for its grassroots approach, with loyal ticket-buyers signing up for a three-day bender of booze, bands and blissing out without even knowing the lineup or location. Tickets to Secret Garden 2014 sold out within the space of a day, so expect to be quick off the mark when tickets go on sale.

February 2015; secret location.

SYDNEY FESTIVAL

It's never quite 'our city in summer' until Sydney Festival starts up. Kicking off in January, Sydney Festival always brings with it a tidal wave of performance, music, art and other festivities — including the beloved festival garden and Spiegeltent. Whether you like the city-wide atmosphere or perhaps just enjoy novelty-sized, inflatable animals from time to time, Sydney Festival is by far the biggest and most popular event in Sydney's summer calendar.

January 2015, various Sydney venues

SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS

Attracting over 25,000 visitors a year, Mardi Gras is the loudest, proudest celebration of LGBTQI diversity in the world. Before the mighty annual parade saunters along Oxford Street, nearly a month of cultural and celebratory events of all stripes makes up the festival of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the most fun and flamboyant of Sydney events. Plans for the 2015 season are well under way, with dates already in place running Friday 20 February to Sunday 8 March. Festival favourites like Fair Day will return of course, with the iconic parade to be held smack bang in the middle. Fly your flag and get amongst it.

February 20 to March 8, Sydney

OUTSIDEIN

Locked in to be held over three levels at Manning Bar in the University of Sydney, OutsideIn, the boutique music festival cooked up by Sydney touring and management agency Astral People and record label Yes Please returns for its third instalment on Saturday, November 29. Forecast to sell out like its 2012 and 2013 events, OutsideIn will spread its super solid lineup of both local and international artists over three stages. Joining an already solid lineup featuring '90s US hip-hop legends The Pharcyde, Sydney's beloved electronic trio Seekae, Germany's Pantha Du Prince, America's Giraffage and Melbourne duo Client Liaison is legendary Chicago house DJ/producer Roy Davis Jr and US R&B/housemaster Brenmar, alongside Melbourne’s Noise In My Head, Adelaide’s Late Nite Tuff Guy, and Sydney's own Collarbones, Chris Barker, Basenji and many more.

November 29, Manning Bar, University of Sydney

TROPFEST

Not only is Tropfest an establishment in the Sydney arts and culture scene, it’s just a bloody good way to spend a warm summer evening. Returning to Centennial Park's Brazilian Fields after last year's move from the Domain, Tropfest is your go-to festival to check out budding Aussie filmmakers gun for the top prize with their outstanding short films — all having to included a central Tropfest signature item. The day kicks off at 11am, with the Tropfest Junior program and red carpet arrivals filling up the day, before the famous night of screening commences. Tropfest is totally free and remains an event that begs for a picnic basket, wine and friends.

December 7, Centennial Park

FIELD DAY

The annual reason to not entirely obliterate yourself on New Year's Eve, Field Day, takes over the Domain with one of its best lineups yet. After significant hints at SBTRKT appearances post-Falls, the Young Turks favourite has been confirmed alongside Dillon Francis, alt-J, Jamie xx, Danny Brown, Cashmere Cat, Bastille, Joey Bada$$, Todd Terje, Milky Chance, Action Bronson and more thumbs up-inducing names. Local legends aren't lacking with RüFüs, The Kite String Tangle, Kilter, Peking Duk, Thundamentals, Touch Sensitive and Golden Features will join the international crew for the ultimate NYE hangover cure.

January 1, The Domain, Sydney

RETURN TO RIO

Taking over the Del Rio Riverside Resort in Wiseman's Ferry, Return To Rio is the Spring Break of Sydney festivals. Founded by Ricky Cooper (Tricky) and Nick Law (Lawless), festival promotion company Disktrict launched as a local dance party arbiter of Sydney's east in mid-2012. It didn't take the DJ duo long to dabble into festival territory, launching Return To Rio a year later. The three-day dance music festival sees Ibiza favourite Ten Walls headlining a solid beats-heavy crew — including Berlin-based DJ and producer Lake People, Sydney 'We Speak No Americano' duo Yolanda Be Cool, Leftroom/Crosstown Rebels label mates Laura Jones and Gavin Herlihy, '80s house pioneer Mr C Superfreq and '90s underground acid house king MC Scallywag.

November 14 to 16, Del Rio Riverside Resort, Wiseman's Ferry

SUBSONIC

Not familiar with the ever-growing craze of the 'bush doof'? Let us explain. A bush doof is a festival/dance party/rave held in a remote location — so yes, essentially 'doofing' in the bush. And Subsonic is one particular festival gaining momentum, fast. Dedicated to all things beat and bass, Subsonic is set against the picturesque surrounds of Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort, only three hours north of Sydney. Three days of music and camping, Subsonic brings together a stellar lineup of local and international artists in a uniquely unconventional environment. This year sees the UK's James Holden and Addison Groove headlining with French Wu-Dubs founder Alexkid, broody Swiss club master Eli Verveine and more. Oh, and although the festival grounds are licensed, BYO is permitted at campsites — a perk lacking at other major festivals.

December 5 to 7; Riverwood Downs Mountain Valley Resort, Barrington Tops

NEWTOWN FESTIVAL

One of the permanent markered events in the Sydneysider spring calendar, Newtown Festival remains one of Sydney's go-to events for grass lawn sprawlers, like-nobody's-watching dancers and festival food stall enthusiasts — and it's still only a gold coin donation. The always-anticipated festival in Camperdown Memorial Park has a top notch local lineup for 2014: shiny handclap-triggering foursome Deep Sea Arcade, beloved punk rockers Straight Arrows, reggae-driven hip hip crew Astronomy Class and epic prog-rock favourites sleepmakeswaves. Magical Mystery Tour-like psychedelics Richard in Your Mind, rascally garage punk trio Bloods and Sydney's suavest disco-funk-cranking-epic-shoulder-pads-wearing smooth talker Donny Benet will be hangin' out too. This is just the start of the huge local lineup — we haven't even talked about the dog show. Or the live art hub with Phibs, Peque and Unique painting all day. Or the writer's tent with talks from Dr Karl and the Moriarty Sisters. With over 80,000 people making their way through the gates every year, Newtown Festival remains one of Sydney's best local 'how sweet is Sydney' ops — also still raising funds for the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre.

November 9, Camperdown Memorial Park, Newtown.

By the Concrete Playground team.