Jam with the fam: 2024’s ultimate family-friendly music festival guide!
"We know that many families travel back to our festivals each year, treating them as an annual camping trip ..."
After a couple of years of uncertainty, restrictions, cancellations and postponements, live music in Australia is making its comeback.
Festival organisers have pivoted and thought of creative ways to bring back events in a way that is safe, so that we can all get back to enjoying watching our favourite Australian and international acts do what they do best.
If you loved music festivals before kids, there’s every chance you’ll love them just as much after parenthood. Because there is absolutely no reason to let your kids cramp your party style – not when there are so many festivals that welcome families.
Festival organisers know that making their event family-friendly ensures that music festival goers will keep coming back year after year, and there’s a good reason for that… music festivals are great fun!
Entertainment, food trucks, culture… heading to a family-friendly music festival is definitely worth a place on your family adventure bucket list.
Music festivals are a great way to make lasting memories.
With many festivals offering babysitting services, kids’ entertainment zones, wagon-hire services, baby change facilities and more, families know that they can attend the event and have everything they need to ensure the day is full of the fun memories that last a lifetime.
More and more family-friendly music festivals are cropping up all over Australia as festival organisers do their best to make sure every member of the family has a great time. You can see some our favourites in the gallery below.
10 family-friendly music festivals across Australia
Byron Bay Bluesfest – Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, NSW – Easter
Bluesfest is proud to be an all-ages event.
With an exclusive area for kids, a range of activities for the whole family… plus cheaper tickets for children.
Bluesfest offers not only great music from international and local artists alike, but an exciting program of fun activities for you and your kids during the festival.
Plus there is an incredible array of colourful market stalls and delicious foods that make for great family-friendly fun at the Bluesfest.
Mundi Mundi Bash, Broken Hill, NSW – August
The Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash is an all ages family friendly festival. Whether you’re a lover of camping, caravanning, outback adventure or great Aussie music, the Bash has something for you, your family and friends.
“A large proportion of our punters are kids, and we know that similar number of our adult festivalgoers can only attend because these events are both kid and dog friendly. We also know that many families travel back to our festivals each year, treating them as an annual camping trip,” says Greg, who is founder and organiser of the Outback Music Festival Group.
Birdsville Big Red Bash – Birdsville, QLD – August
Taking place over three bumper days and nights during the winter school holidays, the all-ages and dog-friendly Birdsville Big Red Bash – said to be Australia’s most unique bucket list music experience, drawing more than 9,000 festival-goers (1,500 of them are kids!) to the remote red sands of Queensland’s Simpson Desert for an epic line-up of Outback entertainment and live Australian music acts.
Kids are more than welcome and can take part in activities like, dune-surfing, beach volleyball, night time campfires and more.
While there are great food providers at the event offering a range of family friendly foods, families can also opt to BYO food and drinks which is a great bonus.
SummerSalt, Various locations and dates
SummerSalt takes place in some of the most picturesque and iconic locations around the country.
On top of showcasing the best of home-grown and international bands – Matt Corby, Ziggy Alberts, Thelma Plum and more – SummerSalt places a very heavy emphasis on local community and sustainability.
At most SummerSalt concerts, you will find a dedicated play area for kids.
Depending on the location, you’ll find a range of kids activities and games to keep the kids happy.
SummerSalt also offers a dedicated Parents Room – a tent with a baby change table and other facilities handy for parents of babies and toddlers.
Children under the age of 3 are permitted free of charge without a ticket.
Children aged 3-17 must have a valid children’s ticket and be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
WOMADelaide – Adelaide, SA – March
WOMADelaide has an entire area dedicated to our little humans!
Each adult ticket purchaser is entitled to bring up to two children 12 years and under for free. Additional children’s tickets can be purchased at $25 for a festival ticket or $10 per single day.
A world of fun awaits in the KidZone with daily activities programmed specially for kids.
Immersive activities, science discoveries, story telling, dress-ups, face painting, bouncy things and much more!
Gumball Festival – Hunter Valley, NSW – April
The three-day boutique camping festival tucked away at Dashville, a secluded property at Belford in the Hunter Valley NSW, is considered one of Australia’s greatest family friendly BYO, camping festivals.
With a night time day care centre for children and a big tent with lots of great activities and qualified child care workers ready to do their thing it’s easy to see why families love it.
Barunga Festival – Darwin, NT – June
An iconic event on the national festival calendar, Barunga Festival boasts a long and proud tradition of celebrating the best of remote Indigenous Australia.
This much-loved Territory festival attracts a 4000-strong audience of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from all over the world who descend upon the small remote community to camp and take part in a program of music, sport, traditional arts and cultural activities over the 3-day long weekend in June each year, welcomed by the traditional owners.
National Folk Festival – Mitchell, ACT – Easter
The National Folk Festival is becoming more and more popular for families.
Catering for the Festival’s growing family demographic KidzFest is a magical place where all ages come together to learn, create and play.
A place for all the family but especially for younger folk, entertainment and activities are on offer between 10am and 5pm every day of the Festival.
The Carnival Stage hosts performances from many of the Festival’s artists especially geared to the young while there are activities, dress-ups, workshops and general fun on offer throughout each day.
Woodford Folk Festival – Woodford, QLD – New Years
The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually over six days and six nights, from Dec 27th through to January 1st.
It is the largest gathering of artists and musicians in Australia.
The festival streets are lined with restaurants, cafes, stalls, bars, street theatre and parades. Tree-filled campgrounds, butterfly walks, ponds and wildlife complete the picturesque site. The festival appeals to a diverse audience with all ages and many nationalities attracted each year. It’s a magical experience, and one not to be missed.
Splendour in the Grass – North Byron Parklands, NSW – July (NOT GOING AHEAD IN 2024)
At Splendour in the Grass, children aged 12 and under get in for free!
They have families covered with a chilled-out camping area, Rock & Roller Wagons, babysitting,
Little Splendour (a festival for kids within the festival) and more. Opening from 10am to 5pm daily, Little Splendour is fully fenced and secured and designed exclusively for parents, carers and vertically challenged tots to relax, play and unleash their wild side.
