Vanfest is returning for 2022, organisers announced today (July 4), with a total 19 Australian and New Zealand artists heading up its first full-scale edition in three years.
Six of those names are billed as headliners: Hilltop Hoods, Tash Sultana, Tones And I, Six60, The Presets and Illy. Indie-rock dominates the rest of the bill, with a quintet of acts – Hockey Dad, The Buoys, The Delta Riggs, South Summit and Loretta – matching the festival’s summer setting with their breezy, sun-kissed vibes.
Mia Rodriguez, Lola Scott and Hanni will represent the pop side, while EDM fans will be catered to by Mashd N Kutcher, LDRU and Kinder. Masked Wolf will also round out the festival’s cohort of Australian rappers.
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This year’s Vanfest will be the first to go ahead since 2019, with the last two iterations scrapped due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A spin-off edition, dubbed Mini Vanfest, was held back in April – The Veronicas headlined as a last-minute replacement for Holy Holy, who backed out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Vanfest has traditionally been held in the central NSW town of Forbes, however this year’s edition will see it moved to Ballarat. In a press release, organisers said the move eastward came in part to accomodate the festival’s expansion in scope, continued challenges set on by the pandemic, and an incentive to “to re-energise and support the broader [Ballarat] region’s music and tourism sector … whilst staying true to [the festival’s] regional roots”.
Vanfest 2022 will be held across December 2-3 at Mount Panorama – best known for hosting the annual Bathurst 1000 racing event – which according to organisers, will make the festival “more accessible to other metro and regional centres”. Tickets for the festival go on sale at 10am this Thursday (July 7) – find them here.
In a statement, promotor Matt Clifton said: “It has been a long road, but we couldn’t be more excited to be able to return the Vanfest stage back to the NSW regions. There are enormous amounts of challenges facing the industry, however, we remain dedicated to supporting the live music sector and delivering memorable experiences to our fans.”
The full line-up for Vanfest 2022 is:
Hilltop Hoods
Tash Sultana
Tones And I
Six60
The Presets
Illy
Hockey Dad
Masked Wolf
Mashd N Kutcher
LDRU
The Buoys
The Delta Riggs
Kinder
Mia Rodriguez
Lola Scott
Hanni
South Summit
Loretta
triple j Unearthed winners