Newstead Live is held in the town’s various venues  from January 24 to 27.  

The festival of music features The Troubadour live music venue & wine bar, concerts, sessions, blackboard  spots, workshops, Australia’s original trad disco and  pool party, good food, camping, spacious setting and no sound spill between venues.  

Newstead Live offers six performing stages in easy walking distance around Newstead and there are always impromptu performances and jams in the streets between venues and around the pub.  

There is a wide range of food and drinks from the Newstead traders as well as a selection of van options.

 And there are plenty of accommodation choices in the district, including two specialty campgrounds.  

Just a few of this year’s artists include Ado Barker,  Alanna & Alicia, Belly Savalas, Bruce Watson & Caitlin French, Bush Gothic, Coral Reid, Dingo’s Breakfast,  Double Dole Stringband, Enda Kenny, Freya and Tom McGowan, Georgia Fields, Girl Friday & the Sepia Tones, Grim Fawker, Ian Bland, Jane Cameron, Karlo Arc, Keith McKenry, Kerryn Fields, LJ, Les Thomas, Maggie Rigby, Mal Webband Kylie Morrigan, Marilla  Homes, One Part Gin and Sage Roadknight.  

Link: www.newsteadlive.com  Words: Darren Lowe  

The Central Victorian folk-roots musical festival, Newstead Live, has announced its line-up for 2024.

There are almost 40 acts who will all perform multiple times over the four days of the festival with headliners including Austral, Sam Buckingham and the Tuck Shop Ladies and Greg Champion, who bring their unique comedy styles alive with music.

Other acts include Apolline, Khristian Mizzi, JoJo Smith, Dingo’s Breakfast, John Flanagan Band, Lucy Wise and the always glamorous and highly infectious The Royal High Jinx.

According to Golden Guitar winner and stalwart of the long running Coodabeen Champions radio show, Greg Champion, Newstead Live holds a special place in the festival calendar.

“As the festival scene has kept evolving in recent years, Newstead has taken prime place on the festival landscape. What Newstead offers is getting rarer, a weekend of great artists doing great shows.”

Running over the January 2024 long weekend, Newstead Live offers six performance stages in easy walking distance around Newstead and there are always impromptu performances and jams in the streets between venues and around the pub.

There is a wide range of food and drinks from the local Newstead traders as well as a selection of van options. And there are plenty of accommodation choices in the district, including two specialty campgrounds in Newstead.

Festival director Kelly Skinner is always amazed when first-time attendees tell her Newstead Live is the best-kept secret.

“Every year I have people come up and tell me how they have been blown away by the quality of our festival and what a fantastic time they have had, like they are really surprised by that.

“However, although we are a small town, we know how to put on a big success of a festival, so I hope to have plenty more people tell me this year how surprised they are.”