The Meredith Music Festival (otherwise known simply as Meredith or MMF) is a three-day outdoor

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...

held every December at the "Supernatural Amphitheatre", a

natural amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

located on private farmland near the town of Meredith in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. A self-funded, non-commercial event that was first held in 1991, the festival spawned

Golden Plains The Golden Plains Festival is held over three days during the Victorian Labour Day long-weekend on private farmland in Victoria, Australia. The nearest rural town is Meredith, which is between the regional cities of Geelong and Ballarat. The cl ...

, a music festival that takes place over the

Labour Day Labour Day (''Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...

long weekend in March. At the APRA Music Awards of 2020, the festival won Licensee of the Year Award. The upcoming 2022 festival is the first to occur in 3 years, following no festival since 2019.

Description

The festival is held on a private property owned by the family of one of the organisers, Chris NolanPatrick Donovan, 7 March 2009
"Merediths golden child turns three, and the rock kids join in the party"
The Age, Retrieved on 30 July 2009 near the town of Meredith. Since the Nolans own the site, permanent infrastructure has been built including showers, compost toilets, and recycled water with the surrounding areas set up for usage of tents, vans, caravans or motorhomes. The culture and music of the festival reflects the strength, and diversity of the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

and surrounding music scene.

Warren Ellis (musician) Warren Ellis (born 14 February 1965) is an Australian musician and composer. He is a member of the rock groups Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He also performed with the band Grinderman until its disbandment in 2013. He has also c ...

( Dirty Three / Grinderman) referred to it as "the world's best festival" in a recent interview.

Artist lineup

Attractions

* The Meredith Gift (a reference to the

Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, ...

) is a nude running race, with the chance to win ''The Golden Jocks'' trophy.Dewi Cooke, 12 December 2005
Meredith Music Festival
''The Age'', Retrieved on 30 July 2009 * The Pink Flamingo Bar, an ever-popular cocktail bar *Eric's Terrace, cocktail bar with a large selection of food and drinks. * A sportsfield which includes the Meredith Eye

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

. * The Ecoplex Cinema displays both short and feature-length films, including outdated informational films, advertisements and television shows intended to humour the audience.

Ticketing

The event is usually "sold out" before the date. Ticketing is implemented via a system which sees the first allocation distributed through a 'Subscriber Ticket Ballot' - allowing half of the total allocation of tickets randomly distributed to 'subscribers' already on MMF's email list. Subscribers are notified in August and need to purchase their tickets within a set period of time.Michelle Griffin, 9 December 2007.
Summer will rock - if you're lucky enough to get a ticket
The Age, Retrieved on 30 July 2009 The second allocation is sold in record stores in

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

and the Surf Coast as has been the case in previous years. These go on sale after the Ballot closes. The third allocation is distributed online.

List of Meredith Music Festival lineups by year

This is a list of Meredith Music Festival lineups by year:

Awards

Music Victoria Awards

The

Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...

are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. The award for Best Festival was introduced in 2013. ! , - , Music Victoria Awards of 2013 , Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , rowspan="6", , - , Music Victoria Awards of 2014 , Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2016 The Music Victoria Awards of 2016 are the 11th Annual Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian ...

, Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , - , Music Victoria Awards of 2017 , Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , - , Music Victoria Awards of 2018 , Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , - ,

Music Victoria Awards of 2019 The Music Victoria Awards of 2019 are the 14th Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, presented on 22 November 2019, during Melbourne Music Week. The Award for ''The Best Global Act'' changed its name to ''Best Intercultu ...

, Meredith Music Festival , Best Festival , , -

References

External links

Meredith Music Festival
{{Coord, 37, 50, 48, S, 143, 55, 55, E, region:AU-VIC_type:event, display=title Music festivals in Australia Festivals in Victoria (Australia) Clothing-optional events 1991 establishments in Australia Music festivals established in 1991 APRA Award winners