Get your country on
AT THE TOYOTA TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
The Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival is an affordable, family-friendly extravaganza like no other, with everything from free kids’ concerts to carnival rides and rodeos
It’s the biggest event on Australia’s country music calendar, with thousands of lovers of the genre flocking to the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival each January. Some of the most famous Aussie country music stars, including Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley and Kasey Chambers, gather to perform at the iconic event. But you don’t have to be a country music fan to enjoy it — it’s also a super fun time for families to visit the inland city, which is around five hours’ drive north-west of Sydney, to experience the eclectic atmosphere. Several streets in the CBD are closed off for the festivities, with buskers performing and a dedicated Family Zone with carnival rides, including dodgem cars, a Ferris wheel, bungees and teacups. Make sure you look the part by picking up new cowboy hats for the whole family at one of the market stalls! Food trucks dish up a variety of cuisines, while kids love seeing professional rodeo stars, whip cracking demonstrations and weightlifters competing. During the festival Precision Helicopters also offers 10-minute scenic flights over the city and surrounds in a four-seater Bell 206 jetranger aircraft.
Images above: A crowd gathered at the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival © Destination NSW, A family watching the fireworks. Below: Fun times, A girl dancing
There are hundreds of shows and artists performing across dozens of venues, with a mix of traditional, Americana, blues, roots, alt-country, bluegrass, honky tonk, and more
Image above: Lee Kernaghan performing Below: A family taking a selfie in front of The Big Golden Guitar Tourist Centre, Tamworth © Destination NSW, Tamworth Marsupial Park © Destination NSW
Loads of free entertainment
There are hundreds of shows and artists performing across dozens of venues, with a mix of traditional, Americana, blues, roots, alt-country, bluegrass, honky tonk, and more. While the big stars perform at ticketed events at venues such as the Tamworth War Memorial Town Hall and Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre, where the Golden Guitar Awards are held, you can also catch them performing for free on one of the outdoor stages. They include the Toyota FanZone stage in the heart of the city and the Toyota Park Stage in Bicentennial Park, where the hugely Toyota Star Maker talent quest takes place.
Things to do in Tamworth with kids
There’s plenty of other fun things to do with kids in Tamworth while you are there. Follow the Tamworth Country Music Trail to see some of the city’s biggest attractions, including the iconic Big Golden Guitar, the Australian Country Music Hall of Fame, and the National Guitar Museum, which is home to guitars that once belonged to Keith Urban and Troy Cassar-Daley. You can also see country music artists brought to life at The Country Music Wax Museum, and where many have cast their hands in concrete at the Country Music Hands of Fame Park. Kids will also love Tamworth Regional Playground, which has a skywalk, three giant slides, four towers, a bike track, a dual flying fox, and a waterfall with a three-metre sway bridge. It adjoins Bicentennial Park, where you can ride bikes or scooters along the extensive paths and feed the ducks in the ponds. Get up close to kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and native birds at the free Tamworth Marsupial Park, which is also home to a community-built adventure playground, and see one of the largest privately owned telescope collections in the country at Tamworth Regional Astronomy and Science Centre. There’s also a skate park with a pump track and rock climbing wall, as well as an epic mountain bike park.
For a true country experience, head to Tamworth Kootingal Horse Riding Adventures, just 20 minutes’ drive outside of Tamworth, which offers two-hour trail rides, pony rides and tours of Swamp Oak Station. You can also visit Barraba, around an hour’s drive north-west of Tamworth, to see the 40-metre high The Water Diviner silo art. It’s also on the doorstep to the beautiful Warrabah National Park and Horton Falls National Park, which are also worth a visit.
Where to stay during the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival
Hotels, motels and B&Bs book out early, so for the full festival experience, book a caravan or camping spot in an established holiday park, or one of many sporting fields, which are converted into makeshift camping grounds for the event – making for an affordable family holiday.
In partnership with Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival and Tamworth Regional Council
The Tamworth Country Music Festival will be held from January 13 to 22, 2023.
Images above: Kootingal Horse Riding, Silo art at Barraba near Tamworth Below: A fiery whip cracking demonstration at the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival © Destination NSW, The Toyota Park stage © Destination NSW
