Strummingbird - Ballarat
Set in the heart of Ballarat, Victoria Park hosted Strummingbird on the 10th of October, bringing a full day of live music to the town. Headlined by Sam Barber, the festival in included international stars and Australian favourites, with 18 acts spread across two stages, the Wildwing Stage and the Hahn Saloon.
A buzz around the town of Ballarat began before the gates even opened, with thousands of country goers filling the town, shopping centers and streets, all gearing up for the day ahead at Victoria Park. With a Country lineup and the weather clearing up to deliver a good day, excitement was building for what was set to be a big day of live music.
As the gates opened on the first hour of the afternoon, fans began pouring through, dressed in their cowboy boots and Akubras and ready to make the most of the festival. Even with the main headline act pulling out a month before the event, fans were still excited for the day ahead, ready to see their favourite artists and discover some new ones.
Away from the stages, there was plenty happening around the festival grounds, with many food stalls and bars throughout. The Macca’s Country House added to the country feel of the festival, while the Strummo Bar gave festival goers a spot to grab a drink and catch up with mates. With plenty of food and drink options on offer, there was something for everyone to enjoy throughout the day.
First up was Lewis Love a local Ballarat artist opening the Hahn Saloon. This isn’t Lewis Love’s first time on the big stage as he’s opens up the stages for Spilt Milk in 2025 with the likes of Kendrick Lemar headlining that stage and he’s opens for the Zac Brown Band in the middle of last year.
Putting the first boots marks on the main stage, Briana Dinsdale, a rising Australian country voice from Queensland Australia who has performed at a few other festivals,
At 22 years of age Briana Dinsdale has played CMC Rocks and BIGSOUND and is also apart of the Keith Urban Scholarship Program. Both artists played a 30 minute sets as more of the crowd rolled on through! As the sun shined through the country town of Victoria a real vibe started forming with Maccas House of country filling the cool breeze with country music as you walk from stage to stage.
The boot were stomping on the ground from stage to stage as Sara Berki played the Hahns Saloon bringing her country sound to the growing crowd. Her performance added to the afternoon’s laid back atmosphere while the festival continued to grow for the day ahead. Over at the main storage the welcome to country was being delivered by Wadawurrung Traditional Owners welcoming visitors from all over Australia into Victoria park
Taking to the Wildwing Stage, Mack Geiger brought his country sound to Strummingbird, drawing in people as the afternoon crowd continued to grow. The 21 year old Queensland born singer brought a strong country feel to the grounds. While fans waited for more artists to play, the sound of county voices filled the air with laughter, signing and chatter.
As the clock struck 2:05pm Brad Cox hit the stage hard with energy and dancing picking the crowd up with him and fans soaking up every moment. Over at the Hahn Saloon, Max Jackson played an incredible set leaving fans wanting more which was followed by line dancing led by Maddison Glover filling the dance floor with dancing boots country tunes and heaps of laughter.
By 3:10 pm, CAM lit up the wildwing stage with her country, folk, vibe which everyone loved. With powerful vocals and a captivating stage presence, CAM kept the country music flowing through Victoria Park. Cigarettes at Sunset followed, going next level with a set full of chaos and the lead singer moving through the crowd over at the Hanhs saloon.
Kaitlin Butts kept the music flowing across the main stage and had an incredible stage presence and ability to tell stories through her country music, a standout act for Kaitlin was taking a showy out of a crowd members boot, which was a huge crowd pleaser for long time fans or people discovering her music for the first time.
James Johnston brought a huge crowd to the back stage with a high vibe set really setting the tone for the rest of the night. With smoke to the roof and a tribute to John Farnham with his signature John Farnham choruses chords being played in the middle of the crowd with a bag pipe.
When the time hit 5.25 Stella Lefty had all the girlies making their way to the wildwing stage, singing along and soaking up every minute of her set. Stella has quickly become a rising name, with her hit ‘Boston’ reaching number two on billboards Hottest 100. she has gone on to sell out headline shows, her set at Strummingbird showed why she’s one to watch, bringing her fresh country sound to the Ballarat crowd.
Noah Rinker brought his sound to the Hahn Saloon, adding to the growing buzz around Victoria Park. As boots stomped between stages many fans and newbies gathered to soak up his laid back country set which became one to remember, not only did he give the Strummingbird crowd another artist to add to their playlists, he also made sure to stay back after his set and interact with fans, taking the time to connect with the crowd made his Strummingbird appearance that little bit more special.
After performing at CMC Rocks in Queensland back in 2024, Cooper Alan returned to Australia, this time bringing his energy to Strummingbird. When Cooper Alan took to the Wildwing Stage, he brought a huge following with him and high expectations which he definitely lived up too, he brought a huge freshburst of energy to the evening, even doing a shoey out of a boot, which got the crowd cheering he definitely brought the party to Strummingbird, mixing his own country songs with popular hits that had everyone singing along.
Over at the Hanhs Saloon sons of the east delivered a mellow vibe. The Australian trio have built a following both at home and overseas with their mix of indie, folk, country and rock. the boys did not disappoint, bringing a more laid back feel to Strummingbird, their acoustic vibe gave the crowd a chance to slow down and sing along.
Bailey Zimmerman is a must see live act! After 3 years of not touring Australia, Bailey Zimmerman made sure to make an impact back, hitting the stage hard with a country/ rock infused act bring a high energy 1 hr set. With the crowed in awe that Zimmerman is back in the state of Victoria, they made sure to belt the songs out with there loved performer, with Bailey Zimmerman having the biggest crowed of the night with people packing the stage tightly!
At the same time the Hahn Saloon had its final main act of the night. Dexter and the Moon Rocks. This was their debut to Australia and their die hard fans made sure to see it, With a style of grunge, alternative rock & a bit of red dirt country influence in their music it was a perfect fit to end it out in the saloon with them opening up the pit, and making a riot in the saloon ending it on a high.
The man of the night was ahead to play at the main stage. Sam Barber. This show was a big milestone for the Missouri born artist with it being his first major exclusive festival headlining act! This was Sam’s 3rd time playing in the country and he made sure not to disappoint, playing a 1.15hr set that would keep all of his close fans happy. Having a well balanced set of old and new songs throughout the one hour. Sam’s powerful vocals captured the emotion of the crowd, bringing people together and creating heartfelt moments shared with loved ones.
As the sun went down and the final sets came to an end, fans slowly made their way out of Victoria Park after a big day of music. Strummingbird brought country fans from all over together, with a lineup that had something for everyone, from the rising names in country music to the bigger acts that had the crowd singing along.
With cowboy boots worn in, voices lost from singing and plenty of memories made, Ballarat had well and truly come alive for the day. Strummingbird 2026 was a reminder of what makes country music so special, bringing people together for a day of good music and a whole lot of fun.
Gallery https://musicfestivalsaustralia.com/new-blog/strummingbird-ballarat
Thank you to Strummingbird, Kicks Entertainment, Live Nation and everyone involved for putting on such a great event
Written by Lesha Banis for Music Festivals Australia
Photos by Gavin Karjalainen
