The Local Country Showcase Returns To Goulburn Valley Country Festival By Popular Demand

After a huge response in its inaugural year, the Local Country Showcase returns to the Goulburn Valley Country Festival in 2023 and organisers are excited to discover more fantastic local talent from the Goulburn Valley region.

Last year there were more than 25 applications and four impressive acts – Jade Gibson, Madi Colville-Walker, JB and Me and Kane Vincent – joined the headliners on the line-up for the festival.

As soon as the 2023 festival was announced, organisers started receiving interest for the return of the Local Country Showcase. Organiser Aidan McLaren said the festival crew was humbled by the amount of interest in the showcase.

“There were so many incredible applications last year, and we heard from so many local musicians, that it made it really difficult to pick the eventual winners,” he said. “It was really special to have such a fantastic response from the local community in the region for our first year running both the festival and the showcase. We can’t wait to run it again as a part of Goulburn Valley Country Festival 2023.”

This year’s winners will share the stage with the 2023 line-up, headlined by Kasey Chambers and Troy Cassar-Daley, with The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins, Adam Harvey, Kaylee Bell, Taylor Moss and Jayne Denham.

“We had lots of positive feedback from last year’s winners about how excited they were to play on the same stage as some of Australia’s biggest acts, and also share their music with a new and exciting audience at the festival,” said McLaren. “As well as this, one of last year’s winners, Jade Gibson, is now on the line-up for our sister festival, the Gippsland Country Music Festival, this year, so it really shows that you never know what can happen when you enter the showcase.”

To enter the Local Country Showcase, performers must be from the Goulburn Valley region.

“We are looking for fantastic local singer-songwriters who love all things country music,” said McLaren. “In 2022 we were blown away by the scope of talent from the region, so that’s the one thing we are definitely looking forward to. I’m sure we’ll find even more incredible artists and we really do encourage all who are interested to apply. As well as this, we had such a positive crowd and community response last year, and we are looking forward to engaging the community once again in April.”

For organisers, uniting the community in music is what it is all about.

“Two of the main reasons behind the creation of Goulburn Country Music Festival were to bring some of Australia’s best country music to Shepparton, and to celebrate the region by bringing the community together,” said McLaren. “Giving local performers from Goulburn Valley region the chance to be part of the festival is a really important and special part of this goal. We love discovering new local talent and to be able to give them the opportunity to play on the same stage as some of their idols, acts like Troy Cassar-Daley and Kasey Chambers, is amazing. We’re so proud to be running it again and look forward to hearing even more of the brilliant local talent around.”

There is officially only one month to go until the Goulburn Valley Country Festival, so organisers encourage local musicians to get their applications in now. Applications are now open for the Local Country Showcase via the Goulburn Valley Country Festival website. 

For more information and ticket sales, please visit goulburnvalleycountrymusicfestival.

Goulburn Valley Country Festival  
Saturday 1^st April 2023 | 11am
 Shepparton Showgrounds, SHEPPARTON VIC