Celebrating its ten-year anniversary in the beautiful Barunah Plains, Beyond the Valley exceeded expectations by delivering an exceptional festival this New Year.
A gathering rooted in a shared love for music, Beyond the Valley carried an electrifying energy throughout all stages for the duration of the festival. With dancefloors littered with excitement and skies clouded with ‘doof sticks’, this decade-long tradition of dancing into the New Year was one for the books.
Beyond the Valley continues to open its stages to a diverse lineup of talent, from local to international artists showcasing an array of genres to the massive crowds gathered.
The Valley stage was graced by the presence of pop star Addison Rae, moshpits formed for Turnstile and a night of nostalgia with Kid Cudi performing his discography of the past ten years. Entering the new year, this year’s countdown was conducted by no stranger to the Beyond the Valley stage, Dom Dolla, with an exhilarating performance setting the tone for the new years.
Beyond the Valley
- 28 Dec – 1 Jan
- Barunah Plains, Hesse VIC
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
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Meanwhile, the dust never settled at the Dance Dome with the likes of Bullet Tooth and DJ Heart Strings keeping the dancefloor alive, with tunes that pulled crowds in until the early hours. Dr Dan’s unique layout hosted some of the festival’s most anticipated sets such as J-Ok and secret sets from Azyr that made the dance floors overflow with eagerness.
This year’s side stages hosted some of the festival’s most memorable activations and moments, such as the Red Bull Unforeseen stage entrance being a car wash and its stage featuring many genre bending DJs that kept the dancefloor hot. The Smirnoff Stage next door was handing out free ice cream to cool individuals down, before getting into heavy-hitting bangers that got everyone moving.
The Poof Doof parties were not to be missed. With matchmaking at 7 hosted by Tinder and drag shows at 8, the nights were colourful and joyous.
From morning yoga hosted in the QV Sanctuary and a run club sponsored by Salomon, there was never a lackluster moment on this year’s festival grounds. The lounge room held meaningful conversations by day, ranging from interviews with The Temper Trap to the founders of Beyond the Valley breaking down their story on how the festival came to be.
Followed by the nights being filled with laughter from old classic films such as Shrek and Mean Girls being displayed on the big screen. The main entry points from campsites were lined with stalls that carried a variety of treasures from vintage clothes and jewellery to Bunnings helper hubs providing camp ground goods.
Tattoos, tooth gems and even custom nails were on offer with this year’s stacked program, providing entertainment and services for the vast range of people in attendance.
The beauty of the grounds, built up every year with its uniqueness and foundations of sustainability, is what keeps this festival special, with each space being intentionally designed.
The vibrancy that carried through the days allowed the crowd to fully embrace a sense of freedom, with the soundscapes paired with the surrounding mountains further amplifying this sense of ease. Despite the grand level of the festival, every detail is thought of to allow a seamless execution and experience.
Many food trucks and drink carts were available for fuel and medical bays to battle the extremities that come with camping in the Australian bush. From the constant reassurance by strangers and help from the friendly staff around, the desired outcome by the community formed throughout the camp and festival grounds is that of a fun and safe time.
Around 40,000 people decided this was how they would like to spend entering the New Year. The four days were powered by the passion for music, celebrating all that has been built over this past decade and welcoming all that share that same adoration. There’s no wonder this year’s event sold out within minutes.
Despite the heat and dust, the spirit of Beyond the Valley stays alive by the love of its community and will continue to stay relevant as it encompasses the very heart of a safe space where one can let go and allow the music to take over.
Read more about Beyond the Valley’s milestone year, here.
