The new festival debuts with a huge lineup including Lovebirds, Gene On Earth, Osmosis Jones, Laura King, Hiroko Yamamura and more.
New Year’s Eve is meant to be so epic that you create resolutions you’ll never touch again, and the very first iteration of Chapter NYE is here to make it possible.
The event brings a mix of international and local acts to PICA to create a playground of music, lights, and most importantly, the celebration of another year done. We caught up with Daniel “Macca” McFayden from Happen Group to learn more about the festival and why it should be high on our NYE to-do list.
Chapter Festival
- PICA, Port Melbourne, VIC
- Wednesday, 31 December 2025
- Tickets are available now
Lineup:
- Lovebirds
- Gene On Earth
- Laidlaw
- Hiroko Yamamura
- CamrinWatsin
- Osmosis Jones
- Baron Von Trax
- JÄMO & Kumi
- Laura King
- INTERPOL
- + MORE
Check out our gig guide here.
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“As a collective, all of us at Happen working in conjunction with Guerilla and One Percent have been in the industry for many years, contracting and supporting some of Australia’s other major events and festivals,” explains Macca. “New Year’s is always such a huge time in everyone’s lives, and we’re always looking for something fresh and different to do, which is where we saw a gap in the market for an affordably priced event that showcased a mix of international and incredible local talent (which, for us, is a huge passion). We have always loved running events around the festive season, and a key driver is to help create an experience where people can end their year on a positive note and take that energy into their new year.”
Chapter NYE is coming out of the gates with a massive lineup including Lovebirds, Gene On Earth, Laidlaw, Hiroko Yamamura, CamrinWatsin, Osmosis Jones, Baron Von Trax, JÄMO & Kumi, Laura King, and INTERPOL. All of this, packed into one wild day/night, but as Macca explains, it was originally meant to run as two separate events.
“Our lineup was a very lengthy and arduous process to get where we landed. The initial concept began with programming two events, the first on the 29th and the second on the 31st, with a huge plan for production across the two. The 29th was going to be more of the hard groove and techno acts, whereas NYE was to be predominantly house and disco music. We went through an insane amount of headliners (with one even contracted and paid for, but we unfortunately ultimately lost out on it) before deciding to combine the events. We are so happy with where it ended up because there are so many quality selectors without a huge headline act, allowing us to keep the price really affordable, even for the level of talent on the bill.”
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The music is all covered, but for Chapter NYE, the production elements scored equal focus to ensure the party is one to remember. “We really wanted to cut through, do something different, and create a new experience in a known space,” mentions Macca. “Filling a normally unused area of a well-known venue with sand and turning it into an industrial beach stage just felt like something fresh and exciting, which shows we are thinking outside of the box and putting in additional effort outside the stock standard plug-and-play event. We chose PICA because it is one of the best venues (in our mind) in Australia. We have a huge amount of respect for the venue’s owners for their innovation and constant effort to upgrade and develop the space. We knew they would be up for something crazy, like transforming the venue into something punters would not be expecting when they think of PICA.”
The festival scene in Australia has been turbulent to say the least, and for smaller and emerging promoters, securing talent can be a battle. Chapter NYE has opted to focus on a more manageable budget and modest (yet awesome) lineup, to keep the ticket price affordable. “The lineup and what you have seen so far online is only the tip of the iceberg, explains Macca. “We have spent a long time in this industry focusing on the smaller aspects that make up the entire event experience, little things that stick in your mind months and years after a festival that are non-music or standard production related. Expect thoughtful, fun, playful surprises throughout the entire day and night! Dare we even suggest a side quest?”
Chapter NYE happens from 2:00pm, Wed 31 December, 2025 – 1:00am, Thu 1 January, 2026 at PICA. Tickets are available now.
