Great Southern Nights live music event returns in 2024 with new format

September 18, 2023

Arts / Entertainment / Events / Venues /

Great Southern Nights is returning in March 2024, anticipated to revive NSW Live Music with 300 Gigs set to be delivered in venues across Western Sydney and Sydney's inner city as well as shows in Wollongong, Wagga, Newcastle, the Northern Rivers and Tamworth.

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 in 2024.

The event will return with a revitalised program, reigniting the state's rich live music culture by attracting visitors through a shared passion of music. 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.

To celebrate, the NSW Government will be hosting a special 'taster' event in November 2023 that will feature ten 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 16th 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.

Great Southern Nights' performing artist Alex the Astronaut shared "It's an honour to be a part of the Great Southern Nights program for 2023. It means a lot that the government is continuing to add bricks to a music industry that is still rebuilding itself. I can't wait to put on a show."

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.

The 2023 Great Southern Nights preview program will take place from 16th to 25th November 2023. Tickets will go on-sale at 9am on 19th September 2023 via www.greatsouthernnights.com.au. Artists confirmed for the November program include Alex the Astronaut, Beccy Cole, Dami Im, Isabella Manfredi, Jet, Tasman Keith and 3% plus Guests, The Temper Trap, Thelma Plum and Thy Art is Murder.

The artist line-up and ticket sales to the 2024 Great Southern Nights event, which will be held from 8th to 24th March across Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and the Northern Rivers, will be announced this December.

NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham notes "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.

"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."

ARIA Chief Executive Annabelle Herd enthused "we're absolutely thrilled to bring Great Southern Nights back for another year and provide artists with an increasingly important platform to connect with new fans and long-term lovers of live music.

"Globally, and particularly in the UK, markets are seeing a resurgence in the role of small to medium venues for breaking up-and-coming talent. Creating more of those same opportunities for our own recording artists to cut through and build new fanbases is critical at a time where content is increasingly saturated.

"Enormous thanks to the NSW Government for valuing the significant economic and cultural contribution of Australian music and understanding the importance of keeping our creative industries thriving in cities and regional communities."

Great Southern Nights' performing artist Alex the Astronaut (pictured above)shared "It's an honour to be a part of the Great Southern Nights program for 2023. It means a lot that the government is continuing to add bricks to a music industry that is still rebuilding itself. I can't wait to put on a show."

Image top: Great Southern Nights 2022 Sydney, HAIKU HANDS, Metro Theatre, Sydney; Image centre: Great Southern Nights 2022 Jervis Bay DEBBIES Jervis Bay Brewing Co; Image above: performing artist Alex the Astronaut

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