History of Caloundra Music Festival
The award winning Caloundra Music Festival, offered three days of Sun, Surf and Soul at the beautiful Kings Beach on the Sunshine Coast annually from 2007–2023.
This not-for-profit family-friendly community event celebrated the environment, cultural achievements and community pride of the Caloundra area.
Held beachside at the Kings Beach Amphitheatre and Lions Park, the beautiful Kings Beach and surrounds would come alive to the sounds of a diverse line-up of entertainment featuring international bands and the best of the Australian music industry.
The Caloundra Music Festival brought an audience of local communities and visitors together to celebrate the best high-quality music and Sunshine Coast culture and food.
The festival also generated sustainable economic benefits and showcased the Sunshine Coast’s environmental credentials by aspiring to become the region’s first net zero music event, implementing Australia’s first BYO H2O program for festivals, eliminating plastic water bottles from the event.
Numerous charities and community organisations benefited over the 15 years from promotional ticket giveaways of Festival tickets.
Rising costs force end to Caloundra Music Festival
Following the adoption of the 2024–25 Council Budget on June 20, Council decided it could no longer fund the Caloundra Music Festival. A growing list of major music events across Australia have been affected by similar challenges.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said this was a very difficult decision for Council, but every expense during the annual Budget deliberations had to be considered.
Creative Australia, the Australian Government’s principal arts investment and advisory body, released a report on 9 April 2024, listing rising operational costs as the most significant barrier to running a music festival.