We’re just under a month away from the tenth anniversary of Groundwater Country Music Festival, which has a sublime program lined up and newly announced this morning.
From Friday, 20 until Sunday, 22 October, over 50 artists – more than 20 joined the festival line-up today – will perform across 15 stages and venues in one of the most popular areas of Queensland, the Gold Coast.
“With this anniversary program we didn’t go about things any differently than we normally would,” Mark Duckworth, Festival Director for Groundwater CMF said in a statement. “For us, Groundwater Country Music Festival is about celebrating all subgenres of the sound and being able to turn people on to different artists and music that they may not necessarily have heard before even though they're all country music fans.”
For Duckworth, the anniversary is a special one, with the Director happy to sing some praises. He continued, “Ten years is a good milestone for any festival to stop and pat themselves on the back a little.
“Looking back, it’s funny that Groundwater CMF makes sense on the country music calendar because in its early years putting a country music festival in what was a very non-country music location had the potential to backfire. But people came, and they loved it, and the team is pretty proud of that.
“We spend so much time putting together music and acts we like,” Duckworth told Countrytown, finding it a bit difficult to choose the artist he’s most excited to see at this year’s Groundwater Country Music Festival. “Usually, it's the artist that I haven't been able to see before, like Jackson Dean, or that I'm excited for others to get to see for the first time like Asleep At The Wheel.
“I'm loving Melody Moko's new record, so I'm keen to see that live. I know Lee Kernaghan will bring a great show as always and will light up the street. Other acts I have really enjoyed listening to this year are Melissa Caper, Sara Berki and Caitlyn Harnett.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said in a statement, “The Gold Coast has been a proud host of this award-winning country music festival for the past decade and every year, it delivers an exceptional line-up of talent and a unique experience.
“Make room for tens of thousands of country music fans dusting off their Akubras and hitting Broadbeach to dance the day – and nights – away. The best news is it’s free, so see you there as we come together to celebrate everything that’s great about the Goldie.”
The 2023 edition of Groundwater Country Music Festival is headlined by Casey Barnes on Friday. It features the festival debuts of Rhinestoned and US supergroup Asleep At The Wheel, while Jackson Dean will bring his youthful energy, Adam Harvey & Beccy Cole will perform their hugely popular Great Country Songbook show, and the Australian King and Queen of country music, Lee Kernaghan and Amber Lawrence will provide a wicked finale on Sunday.
You can plan your 2023 Groundwater Country Music Festival journey via the app or website. You can find more information here.
GROUNDWATER COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
GOLD COAST
20-22 OCTOBER, 2023
Gathering on Kombumerri land·
FULL LINEUP (A-Z)-
ADAM HARVEY & BECCY COLE | AMBER LAWRENCE
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL | BETH LUCAS | BILLIE-JO PORTER | BLAKE O'CONNOR
BONNIE KELLETT | BO'NESS | BRITTANY GREY | CAITLIN HARNETT & THE PONY BOYS
CAITLYN SHADBOLT | CASEY BARNES | CHLOE STYLER | COL FINLEY | DAN HENWOOD
DANE SHARP | DJ COLONEL'S COUNTRY MUSIC COTTAGE | DON ROGERS
DOUG BRUCE AND THE TAILGATERS | GEORGIA STATE LINE
HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN HERMITS | HINTERLAND | HURRICANE FALL | HUTCH
JACK LORRY | JACKSON DEAN | JEREMY TURNER | JUKE JOINT | KELLY BROUHAHA
LAURA FRANK | LEE KERNAGHAN | LOREN RYAN 2023 STAR MAKER
MATT CORNELL | MELISSA CARPER | MELODY MOKO | PETE CULLEN AND THE HURT
RHINESTONED | ROBBIE BOSTOCK | ROUND MOUNTAIN GIRLS | ROUTE 33
SARA BERKI | SCARLETT ROAD | SONS OF ATTICUS | SUMMER DEAN
THAT'S WHAT MUMMA SAID | THE DUNGAREES
THE PINK STONES | THE PLEASURES | THE TRI-TONES
THE WEEPING WILLOWS | THE WHISKEY MOUNTAIN BOYS
THE WOLFE BROTHERS | TONY Q | TORI FORSYTH
TYLA RODRIGUES BAND | VIXENS OF FALL