Big Red Bash Won't Return Next Year

Big Red Bash, a super remote music festival, usually held in Birdsville, Queensland, will not be held next year.

Due to the work it takes to get the desert-style festival up and running, the organisers have decided to place it on hold next year.

However, they revealed that the festival would be back in 2026 from July 7th.

The event takes place at the Big Red Dune 35km west of Birdsville, located in the Simpson Desert, and it is the most remote music festival in the world.

The first event took place back in 2013 and it has been running annually, except for 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.


The latest event saw around 7,500 attendees and featured acts such as Tina Arena, Jon Stevens, and Colin Hay.  It took place over three days and saw heavy rainfall. 

Greg Donovan, the Outback Music Festival Group's managing director and festival founder/organiser, called it a "bucket list experience." 

He revealed that due to the desert location, there is constantly no basic needs, such as running water and electricity. 

"So every year we effectively build and remove a mini city from scratch and spend six days looking after thousands of people."

"It’s a huge task, and one of the most logistically demanding events in the world to stage. Planning for the event is year-round, and most of our crew set aside a month to be on the ground from start to finish."


"After 11 successful years of staging the event and overcoming so many challenges and obstacles, our awesome team is overdue a break to reset and recharge."

"So, we are having a ‘BRB breather’ in 2025. To us it feels a bit like having a gap year after 12 years of school. This break is not dissimilar to what some major overseas festivals do, with the most prominent example being Glastonbury in the UK which has a ‘Fallow Year’ once every five or six years when they feel the time is right."

He revealed the decision was not made lightly and that he's aware festival attendees will be disappointed, as well as local businesses that benefit due to incoming travellers.

"For this reason, we wanted to give people as much notice as possible about the pause."

"Hopefully many will plan ahead to join us in 2026, and if that’s the case they can lock in 7th to 9th July that year, when we will be back refreshed, recharged and ready and eager to Rock the Simpson once again."

In similar news, the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash will be taking place at Belmont Station from August 21st to August 23rd, 2025.

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