Great Southern Nights to Return to NSW

The NSW Government is partnering with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) to bring back the much-loved concert series, ensuring it proceeds over the next four years, starting with 300 live music gigs early next year.

To celebrate, the NSW Government will be hosting a special ‘taster’ event in November 2023 that will feature 10 nights of live performances in Western Sydney and the Inner West. Thelma Plum, Alex The Astronaut, Dami Im, Jet and The Temper Trap are among the artists taking to venue stages from 16 November 2023 across Parramatta, Penrith, Enmore, Marrickville and Newtown, providing a sneak peek at the incredible showcase ahead for Great Southern Nights in March 2024.

Some performances are set to take place in clubs, including Jet at Panthers Penrith on 23 November and Thy Art Is Murder at Marrickville Bowling Club on 25 November.

Great Southern Nights 2024 is set to deliver more than 300 live gigs in venues across Western Sydney and Sydney’s inner city as well as shows in Wollongong, Wagga, Newcastle, the Northern Rivers and Tamworth. The event will return to the stages of NSW with a revitalised program, reigniting the state’s rich live music culture by attracting visitors through a shared passion of music.

“We have enormous potential here in NSW to create an immersive, unique visitor experience that combines the nation’s best natural encounters, great cuisine and local hospitality with a world-class cultural experience.”

The new format will focus on drawing visitors to seven key music communities across NSW, helping to infuse energy into local districts, support jobs across the hospitality and entertainment sectors, and supercharge the state’s night-time and visitor economies.

From established household names to emerging talent and grass roots acts, Great Southern Nights 2024 will spotlight a diverse array of artists across 17 nights while inviting visitors to explore weekends away in Greater Sydney and NSW.

Great Southern Nights will share the limelight with events such as South by Southwest Sydney, which will make its Sydney debut next month, as well as Vivid Sydney, the Sydney International Art Series, Sydney Festival and Sydney Biennale, solidifying Sydney and NSW’s stature as a hub for cultural experiences.

Tickets for the 2023 Great Southern Nights preview program will go on sale at 9am on 19 September 2023 via greatsouthernnights.com.au.

The artist line-up for the 2024 Great Southern Nights event will be announced this December.

“Bringing back Great Southern Nights aligns with the policy direction the NSW Government is taking — we're shifting the focus from destination travel to experience tourism with an emphasis on creating a cultural identity for the state,” said Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham.

“We know that the music industry requires greater support to revive live music venues across the state and support artists and workers in the industry, which is why our Government is committed to bring back Great Southern Nights over the next four years.

“We have enormous potential here in NSW to create an immersive, unique visitor experience that combines the nation’s best natural encounters, great cuisine and local hospitality with a world-class cultural experience.

“This is more than a series of live gigs – it's a display of how the collective passion for live music can deliver rich cultural moments that resonate with locals and visitors alike to create unforgettable experiences.”