Newcastle’s Howlin Country Festival Drops Stacked Line-up

Live country music continues to thrive this year, with the latest festival, Howlin Country, giving a sensational first impression.

The one-day festival, announced this morning, will be headlined by US Americana Music Award winner Tyler Childers. It will also feature Australian crooners Brad Cox, Sons Of The East, Taylor Moss, and Newcastle-based star Austin Mackay. Plus, there will be Cheap Whiskey DJs ready to get the crowd moving.

Hailing from Kentucky, Tyler Childers is an especially exciting addition to the roster, with the singer not having been down under since 2019 during his Country Squire era. Since then, the In Your Love singer has become a seven-time GRAMMY nominee and is a household name in country music homes.

The promoter of the shiny new festival, Greg ‘Moe’ Mathew, is ecstatic about the secured line-up and the location in Newcastle.

“I am originally from a farm at Wagga Wagga, and that’s what made me fall in love with Newcastle. Newcastle will always have a strong connection to the country, and it feels like a big country town with a beach,” Moe said in a statement.

“It’s about time Newcastle had an event celebrating that connection. We hope that as Howlin develops its identity, it will provide a unique experience and day out for local country fans of all ages to introduce their friends to a genre that’s exploding globally.”

Join our community with our FREE weekly newsletter

Howlin Country Festival will be held on Saturday, 15 February 2025, at Newcastle Foreshore, starting at 2 pm. The Howlin team boasts that the festival is “one day, one stage, all ages.”

More artists will be added to the line-up soon, with Howlin Country organisers seeking hot local talent to join the bill. If you think you’ve got what it takes to perform at the event, you can register your interest in the Local Howlers program here.

Tickets to the inaugural event will be strictly limited, so organisers advise punters to snap up tickets quickly.

Pre-sale tickets will go on sale at 2 pm on Thursday, 11 July, with the general sale opening at 10 am on Friday, 12 July. Buy now, pay later options will also be available. You can register for access to pre-sale tickets and buy general sale tickets via the Howlin Country website.