Save The Dates: CMC Rocks Announces 2026 Return
Australia’s largest country music festival will return to the Willowbank Raceway next March, and the line-up will be announced later this year.
CMC Rocks 2025 (Credit: Eloise Coomber/Mushroom Creative House)
Just one day after wrapping up the festivities of CMC Rocks 2025, the team has confirmed that the festival will return in 2026 and announced the dates so you can book your leave and trip to Ipswich, Queensland.
Australia’s largest country music festival will return to the Willowbank Raceway from Friday, 20 March, to Sunday, 22 March 2026.
Festival organisers are already teasing what you can expect from next year’s line-up – an “exceptional roster” of “seasoned legends and rising stars,” as well as the “very best in homegrown talent” – as they plot an unforgettable weekend of country music and experiences. The full artist line-up will be announced later this year.
Highlights from the 2025 event included headlining sets from Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, and Thomas Rhett. Other acts on the line-up, such as Kaylee Bell, Max Jackson, Zach Top, Travis Collins, Lane Pittman, and Alana Springsteen, delivered high-octane, high-quality sets.
In a statement, Michael Chugg, Chairman of Chugg Entertainment, said of this year’s event and the announcement of the festival’s return in 2026:
“Our 18th festival has been an incredible success, with beautiful summer days and an incredible line-up. To see our loyal fans get really excited about the brand-new sports bar and [move] the fan signing area to the heart of the precinct has seen amazing lines to meet the artists.
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“Our wonderful team continue to amaze everyone, and it blows me away to be part of the late Rob Potts dream as it continues to exceed everything we dreamed of. Looking forward to 2026.”
Jeremy Dylan, Festival Director, Potts Entertainment, added, “We’re already deep in the planning for next year’s festival, and seeing all the joy and love from our CMC Rocks community these past few days has us itching to be back on-site next March. As always, we’ll be hard at work finding ways to make the next one even bigger and better than the epic weekend we just shared together.”
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell emphasised that CMC Rocks is a must-see festival for country music fans in Australia, noting that this year’s event sold out quickly.
“As the event sold out in 2025 so early, I urge fans to save the dates for 2026,” Powell said. “With the biggest Aussie and international superstars taking to the two stages over three epic days and nights, it’s not one to miss.
“There’s no better place to be than Queensland, as tens of thousands of fans flock to Willowbank, Ipswich, to experience one of the best country music weekends in the world.”
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding added, “CMC Rocks was another roaring success at Willowbank over the weekend, and we are thrilled to announce [that] this popular festival, which significantly benefits our local economy, will be returning in 2026.
“More than 23,000 country crooners attended the festival, which delivered more than $14 million to Queensland businesses and tourism operators in 2024. [The] council is proud of its long-running association with this event and the role it is playing in cementing Ipswich as an events destination. We look forward to welcoming the world’s biggest country stars back to our city in 2026.”
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