The volunteer-run Airey's Inlet Music Festival returns 13-15 March with punk legends, soul stars and everything in between.
The Airey’s Inlet Music Festival has spent two decades proving that volunteer power and cracking lineups can coexist without emptying your bank account. At just $90 for the full weekend pass, this community-organised celebration on the Great Ocean Road remains one of Victoria’s most wallet-friendly multi-day gatherings.
The primary stage sits outside the Airey’s Inlet Pub with views stretching across national forest and the Southern Ocean. You genuinely cannot find another Australian music venue with this backdrop. Located roughly 90 minutes from Melbourne, the township also offers surprisingly excellent dining options for its size, making a weekend trip more than worthwhile.
The 2026 lineup stretches across rock, punk, soul, Americana, jazz and Indigenous music, with both touring acts and homegrown talent sharing the bill. Early bird specials and single-day passes are available for those who cannot commit to the full weekend.
Airey’s Inlet Music Festival
- 13-15 March
- Airey’s Inlet Pub and surrounds
- Tickets here
The fantastic full lineup
- Mess Hall
- Ella Thompson
- The Meanies
- Sarah Carroll
- Kathleen Halloran
- Charlie Needs Braces
- Nick Barker & The Reptiles
- Bob Log III
- The Pleasures
- Loretta Miller
- Brooke Taylor
- Chitra
- The Rumours Band
- Fandango
- Marshmellow Overcoat
- The Sweethearts
- De Porsal
- Beachnicks
- Groundswell
- Mink Mila
- Barry Gilson
- DJ Sheriff
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Rock, punk and the gloriously weird
The festival’s louder contingent brings together acts spanning several decades of Australian guitar music. Sydney’s Mess Hall reunite Jed Kurzel and Cec Condon, the drum-and-guitar duo who won the Australian Music Prize in 2007 and earned support slots with the Foo Fighters during their peak years. Kurzel has since become an in-demand film composer, scoring projects including Snowtown and Assassin’s Creed, while Condon has kept active across various musical projects.
Melbourne punk institution The Meanies return with their trademark high-energy performances. Formed in 1988 and fronted by vocalist Link Meanie, the band built a devoted following through the inner-city all-ages circuit throughout the 1990s. Their 2020 album Desperate Measures demonstrated their continued vitality despite the tragic losses of original guitarist DD Meanie to cancer in 2008 and his successor Tas Blizzard in a car accident later that same year.
Nick Barker & The Reptiles bring their blues-soaked pub rock to the coastal setting. Barker formed the band in 1988 after stints in Melbourne’s post-punk scene, and their version of Cockney Rebel’s Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) reached the ARIA top 30. The group became notorious for their relentless touring schedule, sometimes playing multiple venues in a single day during their peak.
Tucson-born, Melbourne-based one-man band Bob Log III rounds out the rock contingent. Performing in a full-body suit and motorcycle helmet wired with a telephone receiver microphone, Log plays slide guitar and drums simultaneously while delivering what he describes as a guitar party. His live shows have developed a cult following for their unpredictable, participatory nature.
Soul, folk and Americana
Melbourne soul artist Ella Thompson arrives riding high on the success of her 2024 album Ripple on the Wing, released through Hopestreet Recordings. Thompson was mentored as a teenager by Australian soul pioneer Renee Geyer, who took her on tour at age 16. Her current backing band features members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo, anchoring her commanding voice with tight, cinematic arrangements.
Guitarist and vocalist Kathleen Halloran has established herself as one of Melbourne’s most in-demand musicians, touring nationally as lead guitarist for Kate Ceberano while developing her own jazz-inflected solo material. Her debut singles have showcased both her formidable guitar skills and her development as a vocalist and songwriter.
Bellarine Peninsula-based Sarah Carroll brings three decades of roots music experience to the program. Her 2024 album NQR&B, released through Cheersquad Records and Tapes, marked her most accomplished work to date, drawing on her experiences as a touring musician, broadcaster and music writer. Carroll is the widow of legendary harmonica player and singer Chris Wilson.
The Americana contingent also includes The Pleasures, Loretta Miller, Brooke Taylor and Chitra, offering plenty of options for those drawn to country, folk and roots sounds.
Retro revival and local talent
For punters wanting to revisit the sounds of the 1960s and 1970s, the festival delivers multiple options. Thee Marshmallow Overcoat brings together Ash Naylor, Davey Lane and Brett Wolfenden, three musicians whose collective CVs include work with You Am I, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes and Crowded House. The trio performs deep cuts and hits from The Who, The Kinks, The Stooges and The Easybeats with genuine passion for the era.
The Rumours Band provides the Fleetwood Mac tribute experience, while Fandango also draws from the classic rock era.
Indigenous Melbourne duo Charlie Needs Braces showcase the talents of proud GuriNgai musician Charlie Woods and her sister. Using live looping with brass, percussion and vocals, their performances blend storytelling with Indigenous language and have earned them spots at St Kilda Festival, Moomba and the National Folk Festival. Woods received the Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent in 2023.
A solo didgeridoo performance by Wadawurrung man Barry Gilson at sunset on the Friday evening promises one of the festival’s more contemplative moments.
Local acts including The Sweethearts, De Porsal, Beachnicks, Groundswell and Mink Mila round out the program, demonstrating the depth of talent in the surrounding region.
The festival exists thanks to a volunteer committee and locals who contribute time, effort and accommodation to keep ticket prices accessible. After 20 years, the formula clearly works.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Aireys Inlet Music Festival.
