The hottest alt-country festival around is heading over to Castlemaine this January.
Lightning & Rhinestones has been putting on alt-country gigs around town for a while now, and they are kicking off 2026 by going regional!
Castlemaine’s Shedshaker Taproom will host a full-day festival featuring acts like Ben Mastwyk and his Millions, Bad Bitch Rodeo, No Sleep Till Texas, Freya Josephine Hollick, and more! The family-friendly vibe will also feature market stalls, Forest Creek Tattoo (not for the kids), great food and plenty of flowing beer.
Lightning & Rhinestones
- Shedshaker Taproom, Castlemaine
- 25 January
- Tickets here
Lineup
- Ben Mastwyk and His Millions
- Freya Josephine Hollick
- Bad Bitch Rodeo
- Bad Debts
- Cowboy Karaoke hosted by Freya Josephine Hollick
- 2-Step Dance Lessons with HonkyTonk HQ
- No Sleep Till Texas (live)
Market stalls
- Forest Creek Tattoo (flash tattoos)
- Blue Rose Western
- Pearl Snap Vintage
- Jenuine Leather
- No Hassles, Just Tassels
- Daylesford Records
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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We caught up with Adam Perrett, General Manager of Shedshaker Brewing in Castlemaine, to learn more about the festival and how it came about.
“We have a proud history of hosting live, original music 2 to 3 times per week,” explains Adam. “My partner took me to Queenscliff for the first Bleak Squad show, and we met the Lightning & Rhinestones crew on a mutual mate’s boat after the gig. We had heard of the Festival, which started at the Barwon Club in 2023 and had wanted to get to one. Some ouzo and Indian whisky later, and it was decided that the festival was coming to the Shedshaker Taproom! The long version features hangovers and regrets (but not about agreeing to host the festival). Then we brought on board local legends Lady Adventurer, which is Fionna Allan who is deeply involved in the music scene here, and MainFM, our local community radio station, to make it happen. It makes total sense for the festival to come to our venue as Castlemaine loves a dance, stylish boots, hats and a great time.”
The festival has made a point of ensuring it is open to all, offering half-price tickets for under-18s and free entry for kids under 5, so everyone can be part of the fun. As Adam explains, great music should be as accessible as possible. “Kids get shut out of gigs too often. I have teen kids; they love gigs. They should be able to head along and see great shows, especially when we are talking about the calibre of Aussie talent we have coming. Children really are the future (Whitney said so). It’s up to us to ensure they have good taste in music. And the Taproom is kid-friendly, so it just made sense.”
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Speaking of the music, the alt-country tag can be a little broad, but according to Adam, you can expect “country-tinged rock and roll with flair and charm, and most importantly heart, which you can boogie to.” The bill satisfies this brief with some of the best local talent available in the genre. “Ben Mastwyk and His Millions – Ben is a showman, they are a great band with awesome tunes, what more could you want from a headliner?” says Adam. “Bad Bitch Rodeo are kind of new but is made up of some of our faves like Cat Canteri and Laura Baxter; they will be a riot. Freya Josephine Hollick is no stranger to our Taproom and always puts on a great show; she is also hosting Cowboy Karaoke. Bad Debts is a Castlemaine superband led by Mitch Dillon (ex-Compulsive Ramblers), and Hontytonk HQ will teach us to two-step before No Sleep Till Texas makes us dance. These bands basically chose themselves for this line-up!”
So, if you are looking for an accessible and fun reason to visit Castlemaine this January, backed by a solid soundtrack, Lightning & Rhinestones sounds like your best bet. As Adam explains, “The Taproom features 15 beers made by us plus an amazing kitchen with a wide range of Italian-inspired dishes (with lots of vegan and veggie options and specials), plus we have a great beer garden and are located in the Castlemaine Mill, which absolutely has something for everyone. If we can do this well the first time, it would be a tremendous platform for future years (and yes, we have already started thinking about artists for 2027). Plus, it’s a public holiday the next day, so if you really wanted to go to Castlemaine anyway and have a look around, time it for this event. And if you come after reading all this, I will personally thank you on the day!”
Lightning & Rhinestones: Castlemaine Edition takes place on Sunday, January 25th, 2026, from 3pm – 9pm at the Shedshaker Taproom.
Tickets are available now.
This article was made in partnership with the Shedshaker Taproom.
