Queensland Music Festivals’ Outback Trail to rock on as other music festivals stumble
As the world’s most remote music festival announced it was taking a break, another outback music festival has promised the show will go on, and with a head-turning line-up.
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In the wake of the cancellation of one of the biggest music events in the west, Queensland Music Festivals is bringing some hope to the region’s residents announcing the return of the Outback Trail in 2025.
Less than two months ago, the Big Red Bash announced it would take a break in 2025, another casualty of a struggling live music industry, but also a massive blow to South West Queensland tourism, which annually benefited from those who made the pilgrimage to the festival.
However, the state government’s backing of Queensland Music Festival’s Outback Trail will bolster tourist numbers, and aims to provide some hope to local music lovers.
Chief executive of Queensland Music Festivals, Daryl Raven, said he doesn’t see the Outback Trail as a replacement in any way for the Big Red Bash, but said he thinks the multi-day festival will guarantee some of the lost tourism numbers.
The nine-day trail in 2024 conquered seven South West Queensland towns, taking tourists off the beaten track and into sequestered towns rich with history.
During the nine days, Mr Raven said the festival saw nearly 5000 overnight stays in South West Queensland accommodation, 3300 visitors to the region, and more $750,000 expenditure in the economy.
He said in 2025, which will be the festival’s third year, those figures are only set to climb.
“We were overwhelmed by the response in 2024, and we’re excited to build on that energy with a new lineup and fresh experiences in 2025,” Mr Raven said.
“Thanks to the ongoing support from the Queensland government, we’re able to create moments that resonate deeply with both visitors and locals alike.”
He said some fan-favourite artists were coming back for the 2025 festival, including Taylor Moss and Wade Forster, but he said there were other artists yet to be announced, which were bound to make a splash.
“There will be an Australian artist who will turn heads on a national and international level,” he said cryptically.
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
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