Lee Kernaghan, Brad Cox and more to play the inaugural Goulburn Valley Country Festival

Introducing Goulburn Valley Country Festival: Victoria's brand new country music festival with a freakin’ a-ma-zing line up!

The sister festival to the sold-out Gippsland Country Music Festival, features a coveted line-up of some of the biggest and most exciting up-and-coming names on the Australian country music scene.

Set to take place at Shepparton Showgrounds on Sunday, October 31, the inaugural Goulburn Valley Country Festival will be headlined by country legend Lee Kernaghan, with special guests Brad Cox, Casey Barnes, Felicity Urquhart, Andrew Swift, Davidson Brothers, Cass Hopetoun and more.

The event will also feature a whip-cracking demonstration and line-dancing, as well as food trucks, a smokehouse barbecue, rides, market stalls and on-site bars.

Also, something extra special for the 2021 Goulburn Valley Country Festival is the inclusion of the Goulburn Valley Local Country Showcase, which will give three local singer-songwriters the chance to perform up to three songs each on the big stage at the event. Details to apply are still to be announced.

Brothers Aidan and Rhett McLaren of Red Hill Entertainment (who also run Land Of Plenty and Inverloch Sounds of Summer) are the driving force behind the Goulburn Valley Country Festival.

Aiden says, "We've got friends and family who live in the Goulburn Valley area, and for the last few years we've been fortunate enough to work on another music festival in Shepparton called Land Of Plenty. This has allowed us to spend more time up that way and get to know a bunch of the locals and work with many local businesses. Our experiences across the board have been really positive and the region itself feels a bit like a hidden gem. There’s a lot of great things going on up that way and we’re excited to have an excuse to spend more time there.”

The line-up is modelled off this year’s sold-out Gippsland Country Music Festival’s bill.

Aiden says, “The response to the line-up has been amazing. We feel so lucky to be working with so many incredible artists all on the one line-up and I think the fact that it’s an all-Australian line-up has really resonated with people.”

He adds, "The past 18-months have been really tough for anyone in the events and music industry, and many other industries. People’s love of music definitely hasn’t gone away, and it feels like people are more excited now than ever to look forward to gathering together in beautiful locations, celebrating great music, and having a good ol’ party. The fact that this also actively contributes to the return of a whole industry and people’s livelihoods is something we can all look forward to and be proud of. We’re looking forward to playing a part in bringing back some good times.”

COVID-safe guidelines will be in place for the festival. If, due to COVID-related restrictions, the event is unable to go ahead as planned, the event will be rescheduled to another date later in the year and all tickets will remain valid. In such an event, people requiring a refund will be able to do so.

Tickets for the inaugural Goulburn Valley Country Festival are available via pre-sale from 8.30am on Monday 19th April. General tickets go on sale from 8.30am on Wednesday 21st April 2021.

For more information, please visit www.goulburnvalleycountrymusicfestival.com.au

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Image: Supplied