CMC Rocks is returning to Queensland this March, offering a three-day smorgasbord of Australian and international country music favourites.

Of course, repeat attendees of the beloved festival know they’re in for a good time no matter who performs, purchasing tickets and building hype before the line-up even drops. This year, the annual event returns to the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, Queensland, with over 30 acts performing across three stages and three days.

Three American country music icons—Cody Johnson, Thomas Rhett, and Jon Pardi—spearhead the three days of fun.

Ahead of CMC Rocks 2025, we’ve built the ultimate guide to access everything you need to know, all in one place. While some elements of what you’ll need to know will be revealed closer to the festival taking place, such as set times and maps, we’ll ensure the guide is updated when they drop.

So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 CMC Rocks Festival.

VENUE & DATES

CMC Rocks 2025 takes place over the three days of Friday, 21 March, to Sunday, 23 March.

CMC Rocks 2025 is happening at the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, just off the Cunningham Highway, about 30-to-45 minutes southwest of Brisbane. If you’re driving to the festival, copy-paste this address into your GPS app of choice: 38 Champions Way, Willowbank, QLD 4306.

The B and C Campgrounds open two days before the event begins – Wednesday, 19 March – at 9 am AEST. Entry to all Campgrounds opens on Thursday, 20 March, at 9 am. Campgrounds on the festival days open at 9 am and close at 9 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

As per the camping information on the CMC Rocks website, the A Campground and B Campground are the closest to the festival site at Willowbank Raceway. The C Campground is at Queensland Raceway – catching the Festival Shuttle Bus service will be the quickest and easiest way to travel between the Festival site and the Campgrounds. You can find a campground map here.

To find more information about camping, read on.

LINE-UP

As mentioned above, this year’s star-studded CMC Rocks Festival is headlined by Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, and Thomas Rhett. Event organisers have locked in an abundance of international talent, such as Cole Swindell, Koe Wetzel, Dylan Marlowe, Alana Springsteen, Larry Fleet, Carter Faith, and more, with the Australian/New Zealand contingent holding their own. This year, the locals include Travis Collins, Lane Pittman, Kaylee Bell (NZ), Zac & George, Max Jackson, Amy Sheppard, The Buckeys, Denvah, and others.

Check out the complete line-up below.

CMC ROCKS 2025 Full Lineup

CODY JOHNSON (USA), JON PARDI (USA), THOMAS RHETT (USA)

With:
COLE SWINDELL (USA)
BILLY CURRINGTON (USA)
KOE WETZEL (USA)
MUSCADINE BLOODLINE (USA)
WYATT FLORES (USA)
LARRY FLEET (USA)
DYLAN MARLOWE (USA)
ASHLEY COOKE (USA)
ZACH TOP (USA)
KAYLEE BELL (NZ)
ALANA SPRINGSTEEN (USA)
OLE 60 (USA)
TRAVIS COLLINS (AU)
DALTONDOVER (USA)
CARTER FAITH (USA)
MACKENZIE CARPENTER (USA)
KASHUS CULPEPPER (USA)
LANE PITTMAN (AU)
ZAC & GEORGE (AU)
KEZIA GILL (UK)
MAX JACKSON (AU)
AMY SHEPPARD (AU)
SINEAD BURGESS (AU)
ABBIE FERRIS (AU)
IMOGEN CLARK (AU)
THE BUCKLEYS (AU)
DENVAH (AU)
VIXENS OF FALL (AU)
Y.O.G.A. (AU)
DEE JAYE BUX (AU)
DJ KONSKY (AU)

WITH STAGE HOSTS STORME WARREN, MIKE CARR & D.J. GRIZZLY ADAMS

SET TIMES & MAPS: TBA

At the time of publication, set times and the festival map haven’t been published yet. However, based on information from the 2024 event, early birds can likely enjoy music on the Tailgate Stage from 10:30 am. Last year’s headliners, Chris Young and Tyler Hubbard, took to the stage at 10 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, while Lainey Wilson performed from 9:10 pm on Sunday. The Stampede Stage began proceedings at 11:45 am last year, while the Rebel Stage hosted acts from 12:50 pm.

Last year’s map didn’t just show where the stages were located; it also pointed out where you could find food stalls, ATMs, free water, first aid, lockers, lost property, toilets, merchandise, bars, market stalls, dining areas, and the emergency exits. Stay tuned to CMC Rocks’ social media channels for when the set times and maps are unveiled.

You’ll be able to enjoy live music all day long and find some food and market stalls during your breaks.

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FOOD & MARKET STALLS

While this year’s food vendors haven’t been announced yet, it’s fair to assume that you’ll have access to pizza, hot chips, kebabs, and more. Last year, punters got to enjoy meals from food vendors such as Banhs On Wheels, Melbourne Paella Company, Serious Schnit, Pink Donut & Coffee, Smokin Mexican, Dairy Cream Ice Cream, Italian Woodfried Pizza, Greek Street Kantina, and more.

In terms of market stalls, punters can go beyond the music festival experiences and purchase clothing and jewellery from boutique stores, plus sunglasses, First Nations artworks and items including baskets, hats, and plant pots, baked goods, and more. You can find all the market stalls participating at this year’s festival here.

INTERVIEWS

In a recent interview with Jon Pardi, Countrytown’s Samuel J. Fell discussed his upcoming first-ever appearance—a headline slot, no less!—at CMC Rocks and his growing attachment to Australian fans.

“We never got to play CMC Rocks in Australia before… this’ll be our first time; it’s gonna be fun,” Pardi said.

He continued: “Yeah, I feel like everyone is western out in Australia, you know? They got cowboy in their blood; they’re just tough. You’re tough in Australia, it’s a big, tough country… and you know, everyone seems very active and doing their thing and loves country. I feel it’s very relatable [to me], the people alone, aside from the music.”

Countrytown caught up with Thomas Rhett before he was announced as one of the headliners of CMC Rocks. Discussing his new album, About A Woman, Rhett encouraged listening to music with people you love.

“Just go hang out with your friends one night - pick a Friday, open a bottle of Bourbon, and sit with it. Listen to the whole thing top to bottom,” he said. “I know that's not a normal thing to do in this day and age, but I would just encourage you to do it, because that’s why we make these records; that’s why we spend so much time sequencing them. Because, you know, we wanna listen from top to bottom and go on this journey, so, come on the journey with us!”

Lane Pittman, a recent cover star on The Music, admitted that he was “crapping [his] pants” about opening for Luke Combs on his current Australian stadium tour.

He added, “But we’re taking the approach that it’s the same office, just a different view. We’ve got one job: to entertain. We want people to walk in not knowing who we are and walk out thinking, ‘That Lane Pittman guy is great. Next time he’s in town, I’m going to see him.’”

TICKETS

Tickets to this year’s edition of CMC Rocks were sold out, but this week, organisers have made punters very happy by launching a ticket resale.

The official resale, powered by ASX, is the only safe way to buy and sell tickets to this year’s festival. In September, CMC Rocks marked another consecutive year of sold-out events, with the March 2025 event selling out months ahead of time.

You can list your ticket for sale from 10 am AEST today, via the AXS app. If you’re looking to buy tickets, you can check the official resale on the AXS app from this morning.

To use the resale, you must have an AXS app and be logged in. From there, tap the ticket icon to view your events, then select your CMC Rocks ticket. You can then tap sell and select the ticket(s) you want to sell. You’ll also need a PayPal account to recoup funds.

The next step is to enter your listing details, including the price per ticket (you can sell for a maximum of 10% above the original price), single ticket or bundle, the listing expiry time, and any additional information. After selling your ticket, you’ll receive funds in your PayPal account after the festival ends.

Eligible tickets for resale include single-day tickets, full festival tickets, campsite tickets, VIP Bar tickets, bus weekend tickets, and day parking full weekend tickets.

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TRANSPORT/PARKING

According to the festival’s website, there aren’t official drop-off or pick-up zones located onsite. Rideshare and taxi options are limited due to the event’s location, and festival organisers encourage carpooling and using shuttle bus services.

If you’re thinking of driving onto the festival grounds each day, you can secure tickets for day parking. Said tickets cost $26 per day (pre-sale) and $35 on the day (if available).

The on-site festival parking will open at 8 am every morning and close at 11:55 pm. No overnight parking or sleeping in your car is allowed in the day parking or accessible parking lots.

If you’re taking the bus, you’re in luck: three bus routes will run in and out of the festival grounds—each of which is ticketed.

Route one will head to and from CMC Rocks via local motels (which we’ve listed below), while route two will run directly to and from a stop at Ipswich train station, and route three will run directly to and from a stop at Brisbane’s CBD (Bus Stop F at the Brisbane Coach Terminal).

You can find bus tickets here.

Here’s a full list of the motels being stopped at along Route One:

• ‍Best Western Ipswich: 51-55Warwick Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305

• Cumquat House: 10 Salisbury Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305

• Ipswich City Motel: 86 Warwick Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305

• Quest Ipswich: 57/63 Warwick Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305

• Motel Monaco: 28 Downs St, North Ipswich QLD 4305

• Central Motel: Limestone St&, Thorn St, Ipswich QLD 4305

• Country Motel Ipswich: 250 South Station Rd, Ipswich QLD 4305

You can find more information about buses passing through Brisbane, Toowoomba, and Springfield here.

CAMPING/ACCOMMODATION

Onsite camping is being offered in four tiers – small sites without power, medium sites with and without power, and large sites with power. All campers will need to purchase tickets for the campgrounds in addition to their festival tickets – head here for info on campsite ticketing.

Here are the tiers of onsite camping:

• MINI SITE (No Power) - Max 2 people - Depth: 3.5m / Frontage: 3.5m

• MEDIUM SITE (No Power) - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

• MEDIUM SITE (With Power) - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

• LARGE SITE (With Power) - Max 6 people - Depth: 6m / Frontage: 12m

• THE INN SMALL SITE - Max 2 people - Depth: 3m / Frontage: 4.5m

• THE INN MEDIUM SITE - Max 4 people - Depth: 2.7m / Frontage: 5.1m

• THE RANCH MEDIUM SITE - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

• THE RANCH LARGE SITE - Max 6 people - Depth: 6m / Frontage: 12m

• THE GLAMPSTEAD - Max 2 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 5m

At the time of publication, camping sites are sold out.

If you’re not interested in camping (or haven’t been able to organise a site before it sold out), the CMC Rocks website handily lists accommodation options in Ipswich, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Greater QLD, and the Gold Coast. There are also package options available here.

ACCESSIBILITY

CMC Rocks offers several concessions for festivalgoers with disabilities, including accessible parking, viewing areas and camping facilities. Companion cards will also be accepted, with a limit of one carer per paying ticketholder.

Raised viewing platforms will be accessible in front of the Rebel and Stampede stages, with those who need them able to bring one companion along. Access to these platforms, it’s said on the festival’s website, “will be determined at the discretion of the festival personnel.”

You can head here for more information on accessibility.

REVIEWS

Of course, what good is all this information if you don’t know what the vibe of the festival is actually like? In 2022, Countrytown’s Stephen Green attended the event headlined by Kane Brown and watched sets by Kaylee Bell, Casey Barnes, MacKenzie Porter, Lee Kernaghan, The Wolfe Brothers, and more.

Concluding his review, which featured detailed recollections of multiple sets across the day, Green wrote: “CMC Rocks has returned from COVID seemingly stronger and more energised than ever before. The feeling on site was like no other festival. It was a place where you can sink a dozen Great Northerns and let your hair down, but where the feeling was of safety, community and a genuine spirit where everyone was there for the same thing, an unbridled love of music.”

Here’s a video of the vibe and music you can expect from CMC Rocks.