Gippsland Country Music Festival 2022

The annual Gippsland Country Music Festival returns in 2022 with a massive line-up headlined by Kasey Chambers, The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins and Adam Harvey, with Darlinghurst, Taylor Moss, Mick Harrington, The Strzelecki Stringbusters, Bob Wilson Barkindji Man, Lee SonnyBoy Morgan, DJ Brat Paisley, and MC Ben Mastywyk. Following on from an incredible inaugural event in 2021, that sold-out more than a month in advance of the festival, the return of the Gippsland Country Music Festival on the Anzac Day long weekend is already highly anticipated by local music fans.

For Aidan McLaren, one of the event organisers, the evolution of Gippsland Country Music Festival is making a dream come true. The aim was for brothers, Aidan and Rhett, to establish a live music event in the heart of their Gippsland community, one that they hoped would exist for the next 20-plus years, 'celebrating all things country and the beautiful region of Gippsland'. The inaugural event far exceeded their expectations, and the anticipation around the 2022 festival is already building.

"The feedback from the first Gippsland Country was really quite extraordinary," says Aidan. "Getting nominated for Festival Of The Year at the Music Victoria Awards for a first-year event was pretty much unheard of, and I think that says a lot about just how great the audiences are that come to the festival and make up the Gippsland Country Music Festival community. We've had a lot of people contacting us excited to find out who's playing, suggesting who they'd love to see perform and wanting to make sure they don't miss out on tickets. There is definitely some buzz and we'll be doing everything we can to make next year even better than last time."

Picking the line-up for the 2022 event was a case of Aidan, Rhett and their team picking some of their dream list of artists. "We couldn't be more excited for this year's line-up," says Aidan. "When we first dreamed up the concept of Gippsland Country Music Festival, we had a list of 10 acts we'd love one day to play the event, and that list included Kasey Chambers, The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins and Adam Harvey! The fact they are all playing in our second year is incredible for us. We've always wanted the event to showcase the best country music in Australia, and also celebrate how diverse the country genre is. We feel this year's line-up is a great reflection of that."

The festival also incorporates line dancing and woodchopping demonstrations as well as local food trucks, a smokehouse barbecue, rides, bars, Gippsland-based market stalls and more. It is a strong showcase of what the local Gippsland community has to offer, something that continues to be important to the organisers. The key is about connecting people and the greater community. "We had done a lot of research and knew the community was crying out for an event like this," says Aidan. "However, to see the response it received both locally and from other parts of the country, and for it to sell out so fast in its inaugural year, was really remarkable. We're so thankful for the support people have shown the event. I think people are really looking forward to reconnecting with their families and friends, in-person, and celebrating the things they love, in the places they love. It's definitely been a really challenging 20-months for the music and events industry, and many more, and my hopes are that people come out and support live music again more than ever."

Saturday 23rd April 2022 | 11.30am
Mossvale Park, Mossvale Park Road, Berry's Creek, VIC
Tickets from $99