In a reflection of the buoyancy of the live sector, more venues are being planned to come on board from the Gold Coast to Hobart to Wollongong.
Meanwhile a Brisbane stadium is trialling the staging of more concerts, a Melbourne speedway is bringing back live shows, and there is a push for a new 10,000-seat venue in Newcastle to attract more entertainment events.
Upgraded Live Music For Hobart’s Hanging Garden
There’ll be upgraded opportunities for live music in Dark Lab and Riverlee’s $300 million renovation of Hobart’s Hanging Garden precinct. It already features gigs at the Odeon Theatre and Altar Bar.
The revamp is set to finish by 2029 to coincide with Macquarie Point Stadium’s opening.
The 1,690 capacity Odeon, which hosts international music acts and festivals, recently finished a $1 million user-friendly reno, with new air conditioning, electricals and ventilation, and improved band room.
DarkLab Creative Director Leigh Carmichael has revealed that the theatre operated at a loss for the past decade and needed financial bail-outs from MONA founder David Walsh. But it turned a profit in 2025 hosting 100 events that year, and indications are it will keep that trend.
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“We hope these upgrades will enhance patron comfort, support an increase in shows, and drive stronger ticket sales, strengthening the Odeon’s long-term viability.”
Nick Cave, You Am I, The Darkness, Grinspoon, and Kate Miller-Heidke treading its boards in recent times. Carmichael is keen they get The Cure in there in the future: Hanging Garden, after all, was named after a Cure song.
The precinct’s plans include a new hotel, nine-storey office tower, restaurants, a rooftop bar, more events and performance spaces, retail, and residential apartments.
More Concerts Trial For Suncorp Stadium
The number of concerts at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium is increased to 21 this year, as a test in response to "strong demand to hold more events at the venue”, the QLD Government said.
A cap of six was raised to 12 in 2025 after a successful trial. A poll last year found 56% of nearby residents were okay with the idea.
In a time frame of 1.5 weeks in February, the venue hosted 250,000 fans for three Ed Sheeran shows and four performances by The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Presented by TEG Live and The Entertainment Lab, early indicators suggested the Tattoo brought in 40,000 visitors to Queensland, pumping an extra direct $60 million and indirect $90 million into Brisbane.
Adelaide Festival Centre Plugs In Again
After an eight-month redevelopment, the Adelaide Festival Centre has reopened for business.
There are new auditorium seats and new foyer and auditorium lighting in Festival Theatre, Dunstan Playhouse, and Space Theatre. The latter two have new stage flooring and carpet, while Festival Theatre gets refurbished dressing room wet areas.
There is improved pedestrian access to Adelaide Festival Centre with a new lift and staircase, the ground floor of the Festival Theatre foyer is renamed the Ian and Pamela Wall Foyer to recognise their $10 million donation to the Centre last year, and a new European technique restaurant Angry Penguin opened under Executive Chef Alex Katsman.
Gold Coast Music Hall Set For 2028 Opening
Work has begun on the $40 million 2,500-capacity, Gold Coast Music Hall, with Mayor Tom Tate personally breaking down a wall of the former Surfers Paradise Transit Centre with a sledgehammer in a media call.
The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that Tate revealed at the ceremony that the venue is set to open in March 2028. Aside from being a place for local and international acts to play, he said, “It’s close to Surfers Paradise, there’s light rail up the road. I really want people to stay around and enjoy the food and wine.”
Councillor Darren Taylor added: “Bringing live bands back to Surfers Paradise is an important step. The old days of the Bombay Rock and Playroom, we are bringing it back to the Gold Coast. We will have dining out in the street.”
The news came as The Music yesterday reported that Miami Marketta owner Emma Milikins is working on launching a 1,600-capacity live music venue, The Syrup Factory by August.
Trials For Two More Sydney Precincts…
Bankstown and Campsie are the two latest Sydney suburbs who’ve received Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) Kickstart grants to trial boosting late night activity and consolidate being night owl destinations.
Both will focus on live music, street festivals, authentic cuisine and cultural events.
Bilal El-Hayek, Mayor of Bankstown called it an opportunity for local businesses to be creative and to offer new live entertainment and dining options to boost interest from residents and visitors from other parts of Sydney.”
…While Tamworth Takes A Step Forward
Country music capital Tamworth which got $200,000 SEP funding last September for two precincts, has developed a Draft Night Time Economy Strategy which it will put up for resident feedback from next week.
The five-year plan pinpoints four themes, which involves late night music, dining and transport, and claims more than 300 businesses are “currently positioned for night-time activation.”
Live Music Back At Calder Park Raceway
Live music returns to Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway on the evening of March 21 as part of the second round of Victoria State Race Series.
The venue is associated with two of the biggest concerts in Victoria. On February 1, 1993, Guns ‘N’ Roses drew 75,000 for a remarkable show despite the blistering 44-degree heat and logistics chaos. In 1977 Santana, Fleetwood Mac, and Little River Band had 60,000 as part of Rock Arena.
This time there are Bon Jovi and Jimmy Barnes tribute shows, as well as Nat Allison and Jimmy Cupples.
Bigger Live Entertainment Space For Regent Theatre
The revamp of heritage-listed Regent Theatre on Wollongong’s Keira Street will include an updated performance space for local and international live entertainment as well as a rooftop movie screen and bar.
Push For New Newcastle Entertainment Centre
The increased visits by superstars as Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pink, and now Foo Fighters – and the millions of dollars injected into the economy as a result, and a rebranding move for Newcastle to be a prime concert destination – has increased the volume by business, entertainment and political circles to call for a new Entertainment Centre to be built in Broadmeadow.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley MP is advocating strongly for a purpose-built indoor arena that is bigger than the current venue, to be a keynote of the 313 hectare precinct.
Labor Councillor Declan Clausen argues, “Our current Entertainment Centre was built in 1992 as a “temporary” solution. More than 30 years on, it is outdated and too small for many modern events.
“A new 10,000 seat arena next to McDonald Jones Stadium would create a genuine sports and entertainment precinct.”
The Business Hunter association is calling for 2026/27 NSW Budget support to renew the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Published reports estimate it would cost $498 million.
Musical Chairs
After 15 years as Artistic & Festival Director of Tasmania’s Party In The Paddock, Jesse Higgins has resigned saying after building it up from a 21st birthday party to 400 to an event drawing 14,000, he felt “creatively drained.”
The 36-year-old told The Mercury he’ll focus on his band Holiday Mystics, his label Secret Creek Records, a new podcast and a book based on the beginnings of PITP. The festival is now overlooked by Alec McLelland and Ryan Limb, directors of 11 years.
Greg Segal is Managing Director of TEG’s new Sponsorship & Premium Experiences division. He has 30 years’ experience in brand partnerships, entertainment marketing and commercial strategy. Most recently he was President of Brand & Marketing Partnerships at Live Nation ANZ, and led a 50-strong team delivering sponsorship growth across tours, venues, festivals and digital platforms.
Lebanese-Australian DJ and broadcaster MzRizk helmed her first Brunswick Music Festival in Melbourne, as curator for the 38-year-old event. She hosted Boogie Beat Suite on community radio 3PBS for the past seven years.
Global promoter AEG International’s Executive Vice President for Venues John Langford takes over on April 1 as President of the promoter’s APAC division as it starts to build in the region. He moves to Singapore in September.
Bryony Calleia, long time resident DJ at Sydney underground club Chinese Laundry, has taken over as Programming Manager. Founded in 1996 and attracting unknowns as Flume and Dom Dolla, it is now run by Nergal Youkhana.
TEG hired Shaun Nik as Head of Sport in Asia “to bolster the company’s presence in key Asian markets while strengthening touring pathways between Asia and Australia.”
One time senior executive of Perth Festival and Performing Arts Connections Australia, Rick Heath, is new Executive Director of the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA. He was on its board since 2022.
Boom Boom Room Back With Live Music Voom
After a short break, Brisbane’s iconic underground club Boom Boom Room returns this Friday (with a greater focus on live music alongside its Asian menu.
Ghanem Group’s Music and Entertainment Manager Michael Watt told The Courier Mail “The new Boom Boom Room is designed for guests who want something more immersive than a bar and more personal than a nightclub, a multidimensional music experience layered with exceptional dining.”
The entertainment starts with chill-out vinyl DJ sets and instrumentals, building into soul and jazz quartets, burlesque performances, and winding up to DJ-driven finales.
Eventfinda Introduces Afterpay
Event discovery, ticketing and marketing platform Eventfinda is now offering buy-now-pay-later service Afterpay to event organisers in Australia and New Zealand.
It allows patrons to pay off tickets in four interest-free instalments over six weeks, “removing barriers for audiences and ensures our event organisers can offer their customers a wider range of payment options,” said CEO James McGlinn.
Red Tape Snipped For Tassie Venues
While the Tasmanian Government’s move against red tape sees an audit of all statutory licences, permits and approvals well underway, it’s introduced a change.
Previously, venues had to get a licence for serving alcohol indoors and one for serving outside in the beer garden. Now they just need to get one licence for both.
Keith Urban Moves To Crush Management
Keith Urban has new management, Jonathan Daniel and Bob McLynn’s Crush Management, home to Miley Cyrus, Sia, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Alanis Morissette, and Lorde.
It was caused by his manager of 25 years, Gary Borman, retiring after 50 years.
Gerties To Live On?
After 32 years in New Farm, Brisbane, Gerties poured last drinks on the weekend, due to a proposed sharp rise in rent and a host of repairs to do.
Supporters shed tears. But owner Raul Chocop has launched a crowdfunding campaign which may see the live music bar pop up elsewhere if it raises enough.
Outcry Over Marlborough Crackdown
Venue operators and City of Sydney councillors blasted as “heavy handed” and “a major step backwards in reviving the 24-hour economy” a proposal by cops to crack down on The Marlborough Hotel on King Street, Newtown.
A City meeting last week voted to oppose a proposal by Inner West command to the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to introduce some restrictive conditions.
Also known as The Marly, it regularly hosts live music nights and is home of the rave cave Tokyo Sing Song nightclub.
Police told the IGLA it had 90 reported incidents of assault, offensive behaviour, sexual touching, drink-spiking, sexual assault and resisting, hindering or assaulting police, at or near the pub, by patrons or revellers who had recently left the venue, in the past five years.
It wanted the introduction of mandatory facial recognition technology to be active every night after 9pm, restrictive dance floor capacity limits of one person per square metre, post-midnight drink restrictions, and uniformed security guards to monitor key areas after 10pm.
Police acknowledged The Marly had introduced measures such as body-worn cameras for some security staff, and shifting the main entrance to improve safety and compliance. But this “has had minimal impact on reducing the frequency of alcohol-related incidents.”
The IGLA is asked to reject the proposal in its current form, and that it was a cultural institution that was a “safe, well-managed venue”.
Beaker St. Festival Returns To Hobart
The Beaker Street Festival – “We continue to blur the lines between science, culture and nightlife”, says event founder and Creative Director Dr Margo Adler – returns to Hobart for its 10th year from August 6 to 17.
Events of its new era Second Act will stage in theatres, museums, bars, nightclubs and public spaces. These include “dark-energy music experiments, Antarctic encounters, conversations on psychedelics and neuroplasticity, cold case criminology, fermentation feasts, music, markets and late-night moments that stretch well beyond the lecture hall."
Tickets are on sale for the festival’s first event VAST – Where Sound Meets The Cosmos. The Theatre Royal will be transferred into a 360° sonic universe inspired by dark energy, with 120 recorded voices and 80 instrumentalists for an immersive concert experience.
VAST composer & Creative Director Constantine Koukias said, “I imagine the audience hanging weightless in the dark, drifting between unseen galaxies while their own heartbeat quietly locks into the music’s undertow. It isn’t a spectacle to look at, but a vastness you disappear into."
To Market, To Market
The 15 hectare Tallagandra Hill Winery near Canberra, which puts on 30 music events a year with high profile acts, goes to auction on April 1.
Owners for the past ten years, David Faulks and Mary McAvoy, want to spend more time with their families, travelling between Australia and Ireland. Among those who played the winery were Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, The Black Sorrows, Troy Cassar-Daley, and The Waifs.
An Expressions of Interest campaign on The Exchange Hotel in Balmain, Sydney, closes on Wednesday, March 18. The music-hosting venue is expected to bring in $15 million, three times the price when fallen owner Jon Adgemis bought it in 2016.
Great Lakes Paddocks, a picturesque 47-hectare live music, events and lifestyle rural destination on the NSW Mid North Coast, is being listed for $3.25 million after owners decided to retire.
So far buyer inquiries have included prompters from the music industry keen to expand its potential as a boutique music festival site for 500 an hour out of Newcastle. It comes with a performance stage, and includes an indoor space seating 100. More info available here.
One of Tamworth’s music venues, The Courthouse Hotel situated on the main Peel Street thoroughfare, is offering for sale its freehold going concern interest.
Benefiting from 3:00am trading hours permitted under the existing liquor licence, it generates weekly revenue of approximately $125,000, with a consistent income stream across bar ($48,500), bistro ($35,000) and gaming ($36,000). An Expressions of Interest campaign closing Thursday, March 26 at 4:00pm.
Spotify Moves To Expand Concert Ticket Sales
Aside from getting headlines in January with a blog it paid out $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, Spotify also revealed it has to date, “helped artists generate more than $1 billion in (concert) ticket sales.”
Its event discovery is facilitated via 40 ticketing partners including Ticketmaster, Eventbrite, AXS, and Bandsintown.
Now it has struck up an agreement with New York-based ticketing platform SeatGeek.
Users can discover live events tied to the artists they listen to and then “connect seamlessly” to SeatGeek to purchase official primary tickets for concerts by those acts.
SeatGeek primary events appear across Spotify through personalized recommendations and notifications based on listener preferences.
“This partnership with SeatGeek represents a significant step in our mission to build a best-in-class event discovery platform,” said Abbie Riley, Business Development Lead at Spotify.
Court Notices
Victorian club DJ Ryan Forshaw, 41, was handed a 16-month community corrections order after pleading guilty in Geelong’s County Court to possessing bute, ice, MDMA, ketamine and cocaine. One of these he said he bought in bulk because he heard prices were going up.
Two businessmen, Greg Bell and Wayne Roddenby, who borrowed $39 million from Chinese company Zhongcheng Holdings, have to pay back almost $10 million.
They intended to build a 270-room hotel with rooftop bar on Surfers Paradise’s Orchid Avenue entertainment strip on a site currently occupied by Coco Loco and previously the Lush and Alive nightclubs. One of the men was bankrupted over the venture.
Queensland businessman Nigel John Brealey, 40, was cleared of charges he raped a woman he met at the Gympie Muster festival in August 22.
He was cleared in Gympie District Court of two counts of oral rape and one count of sexual assault after the jury failed to reach an unanimous decision after five years. One sexual assault charge still remains.
Brealey believed the encounter had been consensual. The jury was told she allegedly walked away as she “felt unattracted” to Brealey and “thought it was sending a message to him”.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
