The CMC Rocks QLD country and roots music festival has been guaranteed State Government funding for the next two years.
The festival is the largest of its type in the southern hemisphere and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2027.
The Government announced today that funding would continue until at least 2028.
The festival, a three-day event combining music, dancing, and “camping culture”, was previously staged in Thredbo in NSW before it moved to Queensland in 2015.
It is now hosted at the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane. Last year it attracted artists such as Jordan Davis and Riley Green. Previous headliners have included The Chicks (then called the Dixie Chicks).
The 2027 festival will run from March 17 to 21. It is expected to attract almost 11,000 visitors, generate more than 101,000 visitor nights and contribute around $17.5 million to the Queensland economy.
Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said CMC Rocks was a Queensland success story that attracted thousands of visitors to the regions.
“Through Destination 2045, we’re backing the events that grow our visitor economy and cement Queensland as Australia’s events capital,” Mr Powell said in a statement.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO Craig Davidson said CMC Rocks QLD had become one of Queensland’s most successful and enduring music tourism drawcards.
“The festival has built an extraordinary reputation, with music lovers travelling from across Australia and overseas for the chance to see world-class artists in a uniquely Queensland setting,” he said.
CMC Rocks Festival Director Jeremy Dylan welcomed the funding extension.
“For over a decade, and more than half of CMC Rocks’ history, we have made our home in Queensland and look forward to more years and many more memories to come,” he said.
“Our festival is in essence a community that comes together for this special weekend, some from down the road and some from across the globe, when Willowbank becomes the centre of the country music universe.”
Festival Director and Chairman of Chugg Entertainment Michael Chugg said the festival’s upcoming 20th anniversary made the extension particularly significant.
“CMC Rocks has felt right at home in Queensland since arriving there in 2015, and we’re so proud to continue our partnership for another two years,” Mr Chugg said.
