Australia’s largest free all-ages festival celebrates its 44th year with a stacked lineup of live entertainment and festivities.
As ever, the St Kilda Festival’s hallmarks include lively community spirit, the best musical acts in the country (including the local ones) and the summer sea a jewel on the horizon. All the while, the festival evolves.
This year, for the third time, the festival features First Peoples First, a single-day celebration (on day one) of First Peoples music, art and culture.
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
First Peoples First
View this post on Instagram
Following on from the eclectic lineups of previous years – which have included acts such as Mo’Ju, Christine Anu and Birren – the 2025 bill includes a mix of emerging and established talents across a diverse mix of genres including pop, hip-hop, folk, indie and rock.
Country icon Troy Cassar-Daley headlines the Main Stage following the release of his 12th studio album, Between The Fires. It’s an intensely personal recording that touches on the grief of losing two parents in recent years. In a touching moment, he’ll also be sharing the stage with his daughter, AIR Music awards-winning indie-pop artist Jem Cassar-Daley.
Other acts on the Main Stage bill include “sad-girl indie folk act” Liv And The Dream and immersive pop artist Charlie Needs Braces.
Over on the grassy O’Donnell Gardens space where the Optus Stage is, check out a diverse lineup of emerging First Nations artists. Some of the many notable acts and artists include soulful pop artist Sunny Luwe, award-winning musician, dance and director Amos Roach in acoustic mode and hip-hop artist Crooked TP.
Visitors to the festival can also have fun watching and participating in a range of festive activities and entertainment and educational experiences, including the traditional performance Bama Warrma, dance and performance workshops, face painting and street dance crew Orphanz Krumpers.
Continuing on from 2034 and 2024, St Kilda Festival will also play host to more Singing Our Futures performances.
The Singing Our Futures Program originates out of the Archie Roach Foundation, in collaboration with Culture is Life, and has developed significant opportunities for emerging First Nations artists.
Program mentees receive mentorship on songwriting and recording, and opportunities to perform at major Australian events including St Kilda Festival, Leaps and Bounds and Byron Bay Blues Festival.
Big Festival Sunday
View this post on Instagram
What do you do after all the festivity of First Peoples First? You get up and do it all over again. Sunday is Big Festival Sunday – and it’s big for stages, talent and fans.
This year, day two of the festival is slated to attract close to 400,000 people and showcase more than 80 acts across 10 stages. Flagship stage, the Main Stage, plays host to some of Australia’s best heavyweight acts.
Australian music icon Peter Garrett will perform in new act Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos, whose debut album, The True North, debuted at #1 on the ARIA’s Australian Albums Chart in 2024.
They were one of the first Main Stage acts named, alongside pop act Cub Sport, whose 2023 album Jesus At The Gay Bar was a smash hit and ARIA chat topper.
Other notables on the Main Stage include three-time ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko, electronic party anthem producer Young Franco (with new album it’s Franky baby! in tow), and rapper and producer thatboykwame.
If you’re looking to discover a new favourite act, the New Music Stage is where to go. 10 bands and artists, selected from hundreds of entries, are set to perform. Among a mix of electronic pop, hip-hop, noir country, folk and indie rock, one emerging artist will be voted favourite act.
The fan-chosen favourite will secure a spot on one of the main stages at St Kilda Festival 2026, and earn a $5000 cash prize. This year’s lineup includes electronic popster Dyan Tai, dark-country act Leroy Macqueen, and soul/R&B act YARA.
And what else?
Rock-dogs will find the Espy Live Stage a safe bet, with punk act Sleepazoid, cosmic rockers Full Flower Moon Band, and rough ‘n’ tumble pub Perth fourpiece Southern River Band all playing it out loud.
Elsewhere, The Optus Stage is the destination for wholesome family-friendly entertainment and acts (including DJ Dorothy the Dinosaur). The 18+ zoned Catani Gardens South Stage kicks on with a mix of seasoned good-time acts including EGGY, Private Function and Painters and Dockers.
Hip-hop act 3% will perform tracks from their album KILL THE DEAD at the Catani Gardens North Stage and Amos Roach and Penny Ikinger are some of the must-sees on the St Kilda Locals Stage.
Big Festival Sunday, a free all-ages event, is flush with a wide variety of events, activities and workshops, food and drinks, roving entertainers and more, too. Keep an eye out for everything from Latin Street Carnaval to POOF DOOF Pride Patrol to Discoyoga, and save the date.
For more information on St Kilda Festival 2025, head here.
