Lamenting the end of the summer festival season? This September, break out your puffer jacket, head to the mountains and discover why dancing to the likes of Tkay Maidza, Gang of Youths and Safia feels even better at high altitude.
Snowtunes (Sep 1-2) set just outside of the pristine NSW ski town of Jindabyne is back for its third year; the boutique festival is bigger than ever, adding a second day and a second stage (while still capping the ticket price at $99, a total bargain).
But as with all festivals, the biggest drawcard is the line-up, and this year's Aussie-focused bill is stellar. Highlights include pocket powerhouse rapper Tkay Maidza, indie rockers Gang of Youths, pop-punk duo DZ Deathrays, indie-electro Canberrans Safia and singer/songwriter Thelma Plum (who recently spoke to us about her favourite Australian songs). The full line-up is as follows:
Friday September 1:
Safia
Drapht
Elk Road
Jesse Bloch
Mashd N Kutcher
Northeast Party House
One Day Apart
Paces
Thelma Plum
Tigerlily
Trophy Eyes
26th Letter
Saturday September 2:
Gang of Youths
DZ Deathrays
Enschway
GLDNSMK
DJ Horizon
Nina Las Vegas
Oski
Prime Circle
Ruby Fields
Skegss
The Dead Love
Tkay Maidza
And if you're worried about camping in the snow, then put that out of your mind: shuttles will take you from the festival site back to the cosy town centre, where there is plenty of accommodation.
Our tip: take a couple of extra days off around the festival and ski the slopes of the picturesque pocket between Thredbo and Perisher. Snowsports and music festivals in the same convenient location – do mini-breaks get any better?
Pre-sale tickets to Snowtunes go on sale 9am, Friday May 12. General sale opens Monday May 15 at noon.