Music Festivals in Melbourne in 2022

As Australia’s creative hub, Melbourne attracts millions of people worldwide with its picturesque sceneries, entertainment facilities, and vibrant areas. But now, its diverse musical background and thriving music scene also play a crucial role in drawing visitors and music fans from around the world.

As soon as the sun goes down, the city and its quiet streets come alive and become fun and jazzy with tons of clubs, theatres, discotheques, pubs, bars, concert halls, and live music venues. From folk, techno, and jazz to hip-hop, rock, and soul, there’s always something to please every music fan. Besides supporting many talented local artists, its booming music industry also serves as the lifeblood of the city’s cultural scene, restaurants, and venues.

With about 465 live music venues, or one live music venue for every 9,503 residents, Melbourne is declared the world’s live music capital on a per-capita basis. Its number of audiences and gigs continues to grow, providing an opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their talents to the massive crowd. As soon as the New Year kicks off, a colorful celebration starts in the city through its music festivals, featuring the best local and international artists and musicians.

No matter your favorite music genre or taste, many music events and great live performances take place in Victoria’s capital year-round. To get to the festivals, why not use public transportation? But before participating in any music fest in the city, be sure to leave your belongings at Bounce luggage storage in Melbourne. You don’t want to be burdened by too many bags while attending a concert or music event.

The best music festivals in Melbourne in 2022

Brunswick Music Festival

The Brunswick Music Festival is an annual live musical event returning for its 34th year, with curated live music lineups in the best music venues in Brunswick from March 4th to 14th, 2022. It delivers powerful live music for the second year in a row after the cancellation of the 2020 event.

The festival is dubbed as one of the longest-running music festivals in Melbourne, consistently featuring exciting local and international acts from talented artists in the country and around the world. The natural outdoor setting at Gilpin Park is the venue for this year's Brunswick Music event, providing the audience with a welcoming, open-air environment.

Australian singer Adalita is joined by rapper and songwriter Birdz and two-person band HTRK in this year's edition of the event. Also set making their appearances are Irish singer Irish Mythen, Aussie singer and activist Ziggy Ramo, and Australian musical trio Mod Con. Audiences are also treated to an array of sounds from The Dacios, Sugar Fed Leopards, Birdz, and more. This astounding music festival is branded as a healthy dose of togetherness, a collective exhale, and a massive cup of joy with some great live music experiences.

Rainbow Serpent Festival (Rainbow Reunion)

Music fans all over Melbourne are treated to a spectacular musical event as the annual Rainbow Serpent Festival makes a comeback on April 17th. The music and arts festival features a plethora of artists, including The Oddness, Kodiak Kid, Brian Fantana, and Bobby Raver. Expect entertainment like no other with an art gallery and live painting from notable artists like Stiff Ives, Bryan Itch, and Ash Darq as they showcase their jaw-dropping masterpieces.

The 2022 edition of the much-awaited music festival, which is its 25th, is dubbed the Rainbow Reunion. A major change this year is in the festival's duration. From the traditional four days, the Rainbow Reunion becomes a one-day affair in 2022.

The event is held in Melbourne Pavilion starting at 1 PM until midnight. The Rainbow Serpent Festival has featured many notable artists in the past, like Robert Babicz and David Tipper in 2010 and Hallucinogen in 2017.

Marysville Music Weekend

This year's Marysville Music Weekend is presented by the Lions Club of Marysville and District. Initially scheduled in March, the annual music festival is seeing action this October 14th to 16th, 2022.

You can expect Marysville Music Weekend to go back stronger than ever and deliver the best music party ever to fans all over Marysville and beyond. James Morrison and his Motown Experience will be one of the acts setting the music weekend's stage on fire. Melbourne-based musician Brooke Taylor and Ballarat singer-songwriter Freya Josephine Hollick are also set to bring a diversified music experience during the three-day event.

To ensure the health and safety of attendees, organizers of the event decided to divide the music festival into four concerts. The first one happens on Friday night, followed by Saturday day and Saturday night, and concluded by a Sunday night musical experience.

Pitch Black

Music and visual arts will once again come together at this year's Pitch Black musical event. Australian powerhouse DJ Seinfeld will pair up with SoundCloud superstar CC: DISCO inside a much bigger, inner-city version of the classic Pitch Black stage. The people behind the 2022 edition plan to emulate Pitch's iconic multi-level scaffolding to create a different feel at this year's event.

The Coburg Velodrome will be the venue for the 2022 edition of Pitch Black, which will happen on October 22nd, 2022. Pitch Black is known for featuring homegrown DJs and local favorites in the past, like Jensen Interceptor, Kim Ann, and Jennifer Loveless, who are now enjoying digital streaming success. Party with the rest of the city of Melbourne at the music festival from noon until evening and enjoy some viral hits from your favorite local and international artists.

Queenscliff Music Festival

From November 25th to 27th, 2022, the town of Queenscliff will become a haven for music enthusiasts as its beloved Queenscliff Music Festival will make a huge comeback after a two-year hiatus. The music festival, which began way back in 1997, is held every last weekend of November and features an impressive lineup of homegrown and international artists.

Multiple stages and venues will be prepared for you and thousands of other attendees in the three-day event. Tickets are now available, but the list of performers will be announced around mid-2022. The last edition saw the likes of Missy Higgins, Ian Noe, and Newton Faulkner perform some of their massive hits from the past. Expect nothing less this year as the Queenscliff Music Festival returns stronger than ever.

Melbourne International Jazz Festival

If you’re a jazz music fan, schedule your visit to Victoria’s capital around one of the country’s biggest international jazz festivals. The Melbourne International Jazz Festival started in 1998, and since then, it’s been celebrating and showcasing unique jazz culture every year for ten days.

This year, you will be treated to a series of world-class music with the return of the International Jazz Festival. From December 2nd to 5th, 2022, over 70 live performances will light up Melbourne's world-renowned jazz scene. It includes some of the best and biggest names in international jazz and the emerging and leading contemporary local artists.

Due to the continuing threats of COVID-19, a schedule change had to be made by the organizers. October was the original date of the event, but the first week of December became the final schedule. Regardless of this change, you can still expect the same explosiveness and cool jazz party vibes during this year's International Jazz Festival in Melbourne.

Melbourne Music Week

Melbourne Music Week is more than just a music festival. It’s one of the country’s largest music celebrations, offering amazing shows in art, multimedia, and film and drawing tens of thousands of people. Whether you’re a music fan, an art enthusiast, or both, it’s a spectacular event you don’t want to miss this summer in Melbourne.

The Music Week seeks to go beyond the attendees’ expectations every year. It includes hundreds of performances from local and international artists flocking to the city to be part of one of the world’s best music festivals. In 2021, Daine They, Banoffee, and Nina Jirachi fired up the crowd as they performed their massive hits.

Each year, Melbourne Music Week is spread across more than 60 venues. The Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Arts Centre, and Emporium Melbourne are some of the venues expected to host the festivities. It will run from December 3rd to 12th, 2022, and tickets to the 10-day event have been made available since the start of the year.

Meredith Music Festival

The 2022 Meredith Music Festival happens on December 9th, 10th, and 11th inside the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre. The famous amphitheatre, which can house up to 15,000 attendees, will witness the return of the music festival after two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's festival will be its 30th, and organizers promise a worthy comeback for the much-beloved musical event.

In the last edition of Meredith, big stars lit up the stage in 2019, which included former Oasis frontman, Liam Gallagher. The final lineup for the summer event has yet to be revealed, but you can expect the usual impressive set of performers to make up for its two-year absence.

This event is one of the celebrated music festivals in the city you shouldn’t miss. It was first celebrated in 1991 and is popular for different attractions apart from concerts. These include a nude running race, the Pink Flamingo Bar, and the Meredith Eye Ferris Wheel.

Beyond the Valley

A boutique music festival that began in 2014, Beyond the Valley Fest 2022 has become one of the most highly-anticipated music festivals in all of Melbourne. After a two-year absence, Beyond the Valley will be back to its usual ways of setting the yearend celebrations on fire, starting on December 28th, 2022, to January 1st, 2023.

From a two-day inner-city event in 2021, organizers of the music festival plan to make the usual full four-day camping festivity back to life. Performers for this year's edition have not yet been announced. But the soundtrack for the event might just provide a clue as to who will headline the summer festival.

One of today's best electronic music artists, Bicep, recorded the soundtrack for Beyond the Valley Fest 2022 called Glue. Gippsland Parklands in Lardner, Victoria, is expected to remain hosts of this year's show.

Falls Festival

Dubbed as one of Australia's most exciting music and camping New Year festivals, Falls Festival will be making a much-awaited return this 2022. Three cities will host this year's edition from December 29th to January 8th, 2023. Birregurra, Victoria, will open the show from December 29th to 31st. The show will then go to Byron Bay in New South Wales simultaneously with the Birregurra on December 31st and New Year's Day on January 2nd. The port city of Freemantle will close the festival from January 7th to 8th.

A whopping lineup of local and international acts will be performing this year. It includes excellent artists like the Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Chvrches, and G Flip. The Falls Festival won the Victorian Live Event of the Year and the Tasmanian All Ages Achievement Award during the National Live Music Awards 2019.

Organizers promise another year of an unforgettable music and arts festival. It features additional attractions and entertainment, including music performances, dance, comedy, circus, cabaret, theatre, and other art forms.

Planning to stay some more days in Melbourne?

Don’t miss the chance to explore its major attractions, parks, galleries, and the best museums in Melbourne if you’ve got more days to spend in the city. You can relax and be one with nature at the Royal Botanical Gardens, check out the National Gallery of Victoria, or admire the grand Victorian buildings and famous laneways.

Food lovers will also find plenty of things to love here, from its street foods to state-of-the-art restaurants. You can feast on everything, from local to international cuisines, like Green, Indian, Italian, or Spanish. And if you’re a sports fan, you can’t leave Melbourne without going to the famed Melbourne Cup or watching a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

If you're planning to stay longer in Melbourne, take a look at our other Melbourne guides for other fun activities!

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