Wild Horses Festival is returning to regional Victoria this November to mark a full decade deep in the bush.
The bush doof heads back to Carapooee West from 13 to 16 November for its 10th edition, setting up once again on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung peoples. Wild Horses Festival has called the remote bushland site in Victoria’s goldfields region home for six of those 10 years, having shifted between various locations in its earlier incarnations before landing near St Arnaud.
The festival caps attendance and runs a strict leave-no-trace policy, with every punter expected to take their own rubbish home. Entry is 21-and-over as a condition of the local council permit, though children aged 14 and under can attend if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Anyone aged 15 to 20 is not permitted at all. Organisers enforce ID checks at the gate and maintain a zero-tolerance line on antisocial behaviour, both of which have been part of the festival’s entry conditions since its early years.
Wild Horses Festival 2026
- 13 to 16 November 2026
- Carapooee West, VIC
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Carapooee West sits about two and a half hours northwest of Melbourne in the central goldfields, not far from St Arnaud. The festival has been based at the site for six of its 10 years, having bounced between a few different locations earlier on. No lineup has dropped yet and organisers haven’t flagged when to expect one — just the dates, the location and a ticket link.
Spread across three days of programming with 16 November reserved for pack-down and departure, Wild Horses Festival operates on a limited-capacity, community-first model. Add-on options include car passes ($40), caravan passes ($70), a priority entry and merch pack ($80) and powered camping sites ranging from $250 to $350 depending on size. Bus services run from both Carlton Gardens and Caulfield Station for those not keen on the drive.
For more information, head here.
