Venues: New Concert Stages, Name Changes, Record Breaking, Later Hours, Bunnies & More

Concert Amphitheatre For Brisbane…

A 3000-seat outdoor event and concert amphitheatre and a village green to hold 1,000-capacity festivals will come into effect next year, as part of stage 2 of Landers Pocket, a 16 ha. entertainment, sports and lifestyle precinct which opened last week 10 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD near the airport.

It includes the 800-seat 4 Pines Brewery with 32 draught taps, dining, live music events, brewing, and distilling; “new wave golf” and a play zone.

… And 21,000-Seat Stadium For Gold Coast?

A 21,000-seat sports and concert stadium hosting international acts is part of a half-a-billion dollar proposal by the Australian rules Southport Sharks club to set up a community, technology, three residential housing towers, multi-code sports and events facilities at Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP).

According to the proposal, “The project will address a lack of mid-tier boutique entertainment and cultural venues capable of hosting outdoor events in the Precinct and region. The new capacity with place the venue between HOTA, People First Stadium and CBus Super Stadium.”

New Name For ICC Sydney After TikTok Deal

In an announcement this week, ICC Sydney Theatre announced it was changing its name to TikTok Entertainment Centre after a multi-year deal with the entertainment platform.

It’s the first time that TikTok has become the naming rights partner for a venue or stadium anywhere in the world. The deal was sourced by Legends Global.

ICC Sydney Chief Executive Adam Mather-Brown related, “This is far more than a naming rights deal, it’s a dynamic partnership with one of the world’s most innovative and future-focused entertainment platforms.

“TikTok is redefining how audiences discover and engage with live entertainment, and together we’re unlocking powerful new ways to connect with fans."

The partnership will showcase ICC Sydney to TikTok's one billion + users “as a destination for conventions, entertainment and ticketed experiences. It will also create opportunities for content creators who have built online communities to connect with real-world audiences.”

The venue hosts 120 events annually, to 500,000 patrons and fans who spent $112 million in the local economy in the past year. 

Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, Cher, Lorde, Sting and Seinfeld all played there. Tim Minchin, Oprah, Kelsea Ballerini, The Wiggles, Mel Robbins, Guy Sebastian and Jimmy Carr are scheduled over the next six months.

Simon Bates, Head of Content for TikTok Australia and NZ stated, "Pollstar’s #1 ranked theatre in Australia and NZ and the fastest growing entertainment platform in the world are partnering to breathe new life into Sydney's entertainment scene and night-time economy.”

Live Music Meccas Win National Acclaim

Three live music venues were among winners at the 2025 AHA (Australian Hotels Association) National Awards for Excellence held before 600 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

The Arkaba in Adelaide took both Best Entertainment Venue and Overall Hotel of the Year – Metropolitan. 

The Sandstone Point Holiday Resort in Queensland, with its weekly dose of live acts and DJs trumped the Best Tourism Initiative.

Sydney’s Coogee Bay Hotel was recognised for Outstanding Community Service and Achievement for raising millions of dollars for the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

The Weeknd Grosses $1 Billion, Travis Scott Sets Milestone…

As The Weeknd and Travis Scott wound up their massive multi-year world tours, Live Nation released some number crunching data.

The Weeknd’s four-year After Hours ‘Til Dawn Tour has now grossed in excess of US$1 billion, making it the top-earning tour by a solo male artist in history. He sold 7.5 million tickets across 153 shows and donated $8.5 million to the XO Humanitarian Fund and Global Citizen.

In Australia the tour turned over US$26.1 million from 211,062 tickets, and was the fifth largest tour in this country in the last financial year.

The Canadian superstar isn’t done yet. He already has 40 shows scheduled for 2026, including stops in Mexico City, Brazil, Europe and the UK. This run will see him donate to World Food Program Global Citizen.

Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus World Tour is the highest-grossing solo rap tour in history, Live Nation claimed. 

Over two years, six continents, more than 20 countries and 50 cites, it shifted over 2.2 million tickets, and grossed over $250 million. He played the biggest single-artist show in Delhi’s history, drawing 125,000 fans.

In Australia Scott ranked 4th largest tour in the last financial year, grossing US$32.2 million from ticket sales of 278,662.

…While Oasis Shifted 320,000 Tix In Australia

As Oasis wound up its five month reunion run in Sao Paulo, Brazil, last Sunday, its label Big Brother Records revealed their five shows in Australia drew 320,000. The news was released through local publicity firm Scrabble PR.

In a case of what’s-the-story-morning-glory, there are still no official figures on the 41 shows staged across the UK, Ireland, North America, Asia, Australia and South America. But it’s expected they moved 2.9 million tickets and grossed around half a billion dollars.

One financial media outlet reported that Liam Gallagher locked in £5.2 million (AU$10.5 million) even before the tour began.

Musical Chairs

• After eleven years as CEO of Adelaide Fringe, during which she positioned it as Australia’s biggest arts festival, Heather Croall AM is now director of SA cultural institution Carrick Hill. In 2025, the Fringe sold over 1 million tickets and generated $197.7 million – of which $26.7 million donated to its artists and venues.

• Harry Prouse is new Head of Contemporary Performance at Sydney Opera House. He has been a producer for various organisations including the SOH, and at early in his career helmed Little BIGSOUND and 4 Walls Festival.

• Venues NSW made new board appointments on three year terms – former NSW Labor leader John Robertson and Vogue Australia and GQ Australia publisher Edwina McCann.

• The City of Melbourne’s First People’s festival YIRRAMBOI promoted Executive Producer Emily Wells (Kamilaroi) to Executive Lead with Artistic Lead Sherene Stewart (Taungurung /Filipino) in a new shared leadership model.

  One of Australian country music’s major figures Barry Harley steps down as Festival Director after the 2026 Tamworth Country Music Festival to become part of its Advisory Group.

Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium Handballs $190 Million To Victoria

The GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria, delivered over $190 million to the Victorian economy last financial year. 

According to a report called The Social and Economic Value of Kardinia Park Stadium Trust In 2024/25, the stadium hosted more than 480,000 visitors across 44 events. Of these, 190,000 came from outside the local region.

More than 21,000 local participants took part in five community events at GMHBA Stadium.

A $142 million redevelopment has increased stadium capacity to 40,000. But capacity for concerts is more – 45,000 to even 50,000, according to a recent audit – and the stadium has in recent weeks been promoting itself to promoters and the wider music industry to stage more large concerts there.

In 2022, Foo Fighters put the venue in the global spotlight when it played a one-off show there to 40,000.

More Upgrades For Great Barrier Reef Arena

The Queensland Government has confirmed an extra $23.5 million for Stage 2 upgrade of Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena. The 10,000-capacity venue at Harrup Park opened in 2023 covers the Mackay and Whitesundays region. 

Although primarily a sports venue, it also hosts music (with a capacity of 20,000 for these), entertainment and leisure events.

Two Wins For Universal Bar

Perth’s Universal Bar had two wins at the Australian Hotels Association WA’s Coca-Cola Hospitality Awards for Excellence. These were held at Crown Perth, before 1,100 guests.

The Northbridge venue, which was set up in 1993, took home trophies for the Live Entertainment and Bar Team categories.

This week it is hosting Slice (November 27th), Pinstripe (28th), Little Belle (29th) and Atomic (30th) along with BPM DJs all week.

The music showcasing The Byford Tavern won PubTAB Venue Award Metropolitan while The Wray Hotel in Fremantle broke a sweat as Sporting Entertainment Venue.

What’s Up Doc? New Hutch For Rabbits Eat Lettuce

The 17-year-old Rabbits Eat Lettuce which has staged in a different location every year since 2018 has a new GPS setting for 2026.

It’s in Texas at Bushland Hideaway on the Dumaresq River in Queensland from April 2nd to 6th. Festival director Erik Lamir said in a statement that Texas’ reputation for rabbit trapping came full circle for him.

“My great-grandparents survived the Great Depression by trapping and selling rabbits. A century later, rabbits are returning to Texas in a whole new form, bringing people together for music, art and celebration.

“I guess making an income from rabbits really does run in the family.”

Greater Look At Perth Park’s Amphitheatre 

More details are released on the 12,000-seat dedicated outdoor amphitheatre, with the WA Government this week releasing designs for the $217.5 million new sports and entertainment Perth Park hub.

“As Perth’s first dedicated outdoor amphitheatre with ‘plug and play’ facilities, the venue will significantly reduce setup and transport costs for artists and promoters offering a more affordable option for hosting outdoor music and entertainment events in the city,” said the report.

“Western Australia faces a unique challenge of being the most isolated city in the world. This makes it a costly exercise to bring major events including international touring artists, entertainers and sporting events to Perth.

“The Western Australian Government recognises the gap in Perth’s entertainment-focused event infrastructure, and the high cost of running events in Perth.”

It added that the amount of seats enabled “an increase in the number of local events, intimate concerts and global music acts hosted in WA.”

The design will allow for scalable capacity to cater for different audience sizes. Permanent back-of-house amenities for artists and event organisers will include dressing rooms, production spaces and storage.

“The venue will feature a variety of viewing options, with space for people to stand or sit at the front of the stage, and a grassed area suitable for standing or relaxing on a blanket. Premium viewing areas will also be offered.”

The parkland design includes up to 150,000 new plants, with tree canopy to be more than doubled across the precinct, and a new urban forest included in the south-east of the park. The grasslands will allow for major festivals to be staged there.

Revolver Upstairs Sued Over Attack

While the building which houses Melbourne nightclub Revolver Upstairs went up for sale for $15 million in October, the Chapel Street nightclub has found itself in the County Court of Victoria.

The Herald Sun reported that patron Liam Cummins, 32, took action after a September 2024 incident when he was stabbed 13 times after an alleged drug deal inside went bad. He is suing the club and security firm B.J. Consultants for insufficient security at the door.

RAC Arena Raffle Raises $74k

The annual Concert Superpass charity raffle by Perth’s RAC Arena raised over $74,000 for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Appeal. This takes the total to $750,000 since its inception in 2013.

Music fans could make $10 bids to win a double pass to events on its 2026 calendar including Good Charlotte, Lorde, Machine Gun Kelly, and Hilltop Hoods. The winner got a further $1,000 voucher to buy drinks and food at the shows.

Later Boogie Hours For Parramatta Venues?

Will Parramatta, Sydney’s live music and entertainment venues be trading an extra two hours on the nights they have music on, and will they have reduced licensing fees? 

That is one of the things City of Parramatta is getting feedback from residents about plans for a Special Entertainment Precinct in the CBD.

“Our community has an exciting vision to be a global city – a premier destination for culture, arts and tourism, investment, jobs, and economic growth.”

The draft boundary includes the area between Smith Street to the east, Church Street to the west, Argyle Street to the south and Riverside Theatres to the north.

The SEP would allow businesses such as bars and restaurants to access longer and have more flexible working hours, and there’ll be no need for a Development Application to stay open late.

A Precinct Management Plan would establish a clear process if venues exceed sound thresholds or trading hours. This would first have a trial period before the SEP comes into effect.

Music Events Shine In QLD Tourism Awards

In the Queensland Tourism Awards, Blues On Broadbeach on the Gold Coast took gold in the Major Festivals & Events category while Savannah In The Round in the Tropical North Queensland took second prize of silver.

The Queensland Music Trails had silver in the Cultural Tourism category. This follows its Best Music Tourism Initiative win in September at the global Music Cities Awards in Arkansas, USA.

Since launching in 2023, it’s achieved some impressive outcomes, including 92,000 on the trail, generating $13.7 million in economic impact, connected with 28 regional and remote communities and 3 million online.

It’s created employment for 1800 artists and crew, and 1150 First Nations talent and entrepreneurs.

Pop Up Concerts For Melbourne City Square

After being closed for eight years during the Metro Project, Melbourne’s City Square is open to the public – and hosting concerts over summer. They’ll only be announced a few hours before, and capped to 1,500 people.

A preview with Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano and Ian Moss proved the short notice approach did bring music lovers into the CBD.

Pop-ups will also be held in other locations, including laneways and outside restaurants, Victorian Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos said. It will be part of the ALWAYS LIVE Melbourne Vibes program.

Venue bookers and operators have on social media criticised governments and councils for not doing more to help grassroots music spaces by getting rid of “hideous taxes, red tape and costs” according to Cherry Bar’s James Young.

Penrith City Council Endorses 24 Hour Strategy

Penrith City Council in Sydney has endorsed its OPEN: Penrith and St Marys 24-Hour Economy Strategy 2025-2029, to be implemented over the next four years in the fast growing areas.

While the draft strategy was on public exhibition in May and June for feedback (there were 300 responses), Penrith Mayor Todd Carney said Council had “hosted the NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner and 65 local businesses, government and industry representatives where they discussed the opportunities to grow the Penrith and St Marys’ 24-hour economy.”

Identified to foster growth included ensuring a vibrant precinct with as many diverse projects as possible, and collaborate with local businesses. 

Other tactics are to actively market and promote Penrith and St Marys “as sought after 24-hour economy destinations for investment and visitation”, and develop Penrith’s Neon Grid to make it easier to reach and move around in.

More Pill Testing At Victoria’s Summer Festivals

The Victorian Government’s mobile pill testing trial continues this summer with the next three events set to host the service confirmed.

These are Spilt Milk (December 6th), Dangerous Goods 6XXL (January 24th) and Pitch Music and Arts Festival (March 6th – 10th).  Further events will be announced.

The Victorian Pill Testing Service is delivered by the trusted consortium of Youth Support and Advocacy Service, The Loop Australia and Harm Reduction Victoria as part of an 18-month Labor Government’s implementation trial.

Last season, at Beyond The Valley which draws 35,000, the services spoke to 700 punters, and tested over 600 samples. MDMA, ketamine, and cocaine were the common drugs presented for testing. 

Nearly 40% said they’d use a smaller amount of drugs. For 70% it was the first time they’d had a conversation with a health professional about drug and alcohol safety.