Funding Boost For Country Music, First Nations, Festivals After Tourism Draws

Various governments are future-proofing country music and First Nations festivals as they increasingly prove to be tourism draws.

In the latest move, the Queensland Government confirmed a $1 million funding boost to bolster Far North Queensland (FNQ) country music festival Savannah In The Round until 2029.

The event, over four days in October, is held at the Mareeba Rodeo Arena in the Cairns hinterland. 

This year it drew an aggregated 32,000 (half of them from outside the region) to catch headliner Zac Brown Band, Kasey Chambers, Casey Barnes, and Jackson Dean, with rock acts such as The Black Sorrows, Daryl Braithwaite, and Rose Tattoo.

Festival Director James Dein said, “The Zac Brown Band took the festival to another level – it was really a world class concert and I don’t think that any city in North Queensland has seen anything like that in many years, it all bodes well for the future.”

From the start, Savannah has aligned itself with FNQ tourism, its marketing including helicopter flights, reef tours, holidays and cruises. Last year it won a tourism award and Dein says the funding will be used to provide more local jobs and widen the festival’s marketing.

Mareeba is 2.5 hours from the Gold Coast, Darwin, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast; 3 hours from Sydney; 3.5 hours from Melbourne; and 5.5 hours from Auckland.

Last year 8,000 daily tourists to the festival spent almost $11 million in the region, and $6 million in Mareeba.

Recently the Gympie Music Muster received a commitment of $100,000 each year, over the next four years, from the Queensland State Government. 

It injects up to $5 million into the local economy, which local MP Tony Perrett said “flows directly through local motels, cafes, pubs, and shops – supporting jobs and strengthening businesses across our region.”

The Muster further provided hundreds of thousands in dollars to charities, service clubs and schools. At the 2025 Gympie Chamber Of Commerce Business Awards, it won Community Contribution of the Year and runner-up in the Not-for-Profit Business category.

Muster CEO Greg Cavanagh said, “We operate with a small core team, and what makes the Muster truly special is the spirit of giving back. 

“Thousands of volunteers and 40 community groups give their time before, during and after the festival to make sure it all runs smoothly including site preparation, hospitality, and logistics.”

Western Australia’s biggest country music festival, the 38-year old Boyup Brook Country Music Muster, was this month told it would get $50,000 towards its 2026 event (Feb 13 to 15) through the state’s 2025–26 Regional Events Scheme.

Boyup Brook, WA’s country music capital, is located 270 km from Perth in the state’s South West. With the backdrop of Music Park, the venue sits along the picturesque banks of the Blackwood River.

The Country Music Club Of Boyup Brook WA Inc, which puts on the event, declared, “It’s a huge win for our beloved grassroots festival. Every year, the Muster brings thousands of music lovers together in the heart of the South West to celebrate live country music, local talent, and the amazing spirit of our community. 

“With this funding, we’ll be able to grow even more - adding fresh programming, reaching new audiences, and continuing to deliver unforgettable experiences.”

First Nations Tourism

With First Nations tourism now worth billions of dollars, the Northern Territory has merged its events and tourism bodies.

In 2026, of 14 NT major events getting funding via Round 1 of the 2025–26 Event Funding Program (EFP), three are First Nations festivals. Aside from music, the three offer an experience that includes dance, story telling, sports, sculpture, and culinary and culture workshops.

The three-day Garrmalang Festival is a partnership between the Darwin Entertainment Centre and Larrakia Nation. The festival’s name is an old Larrakia word for what is now the Darwin CBD.

Barunga Festival is on the lands of the Bagala clan of the Jawoyn people, which is an hour out of Katherine, which itself is three hours’ south of Darwin, and represents a culture where the tropics meets the outback. In June it drew 4,000 people, after receiving $250,000 in Federal money.

Garma Festival is the largest gathering of the First Nation people, hosted over four days in remote northeast Arnhem Land by the Yothu Yindi Foundation celebrating all that’s Yolngu.

The $50,000 grant that Riverboats Music received from the Victorian Government’s Live Music Festivals Fund showed itself this month when it unveiled its bill for February 2026.

It was its biggest one yet, including The Living End, Baker Boy, Cash Savage & The Last Drinks, Emma Donovan, Xavier Rudd, Paul Dempsey’s Shotgun Karaoke, and Andrew Gurruwiwi Band.

Each year, the event with strong ties to Yorta Yorta Country draws 5,500 people to Echuca/Moama. Three quarters of them are repeat visitors. The event brings over $2.65 million into the local economy, with each visitor spending an average of $375 per person on local services, excluding ticket costs. 

It took Gold at the 2017 Australian Tourism Awards and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2019 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards.

Festival Director Dave Frazer of Westbound Productions responded to news of the funding, “We are absolutely thrilled to receive support. This injection of funds going into our 14th year couldn’t have come at a better time.

“There has been quite a lot of talk in the media about the challenges facing live music and festivals and it is great to see the state government support events like us, annual events like ours, to ensure that we can continue along into the future.”