The fifth annual Thirroul Music Festival experienced both triumph and frustration over the weekend as the popular beachside event sold out for the first time, leading to capacity crowds that left some music lovers unable to see their favourite acts.
Venues Overflow as Festival Hits Record Attendance
On Saturday, November 29, 2025, queues snaked out the doors of seven venues across the picturesque Illawarra suburb as the festival celebrated its most successful year to date. This marked the first sellout since Anita's Theatre joined the festival lineup, creating both excitement and logistical challenges for attendees.
Sarah Enright, a festivalgoer from Gerringong, expressed disappointment after being unable to access several performances due to venue capacity limits. "The venues were so small, it was so difficult to get into each venue," she said. "If you wanted to see a particular person, they were already full."
The festival utilized multiple venues including Anita's Theatre, Frank's Wild Years, Finbox, Buck Hamblin, Ciro's Pizza and Boveda - all located within close proximity in the coastal community.
Organizers Defend Intimate Venue Strategy
Festival founder Luke Woods explained the deliberate choice to feature smaller, underutilised venues as part of the festival's core philosophy. "To increase their trade and ensure the longevity of these smaller venues, but also that's where a lot of the magic happens when you can see these artists up close and personal," Woods stated.
He emphasized that the inclusion of Anita's Theatre as a larger main stage venue was intended to alleviate capacity concerns. "We hope by having the big main stage venue like Anita's Theatre, which everyone can get into at any time, sort of alleviates some of those concerns," Woods added.
The 2025 festival also represented a significant shift as it moved into licensed venues for the first time, changing the family-friendly dynamic that had characterized previous years.
Attendees Call for More Outdoor Stages
Many festivalgoers, including families and local residents, found themselves watching performances from the free stage set up on King Street alongside Anita's Theatre. Enright urged organizers and council to consider expanding outdoor stages in future editions.
"Bands that were in like Finbox and that were at Frank's could have been on that big [outdoor] stage and then we could have all enjoyed them," she suggested, highlighting the potential solution to capacity issues.
The festival featured an impressive lineup including international act Donavon Frankenreiter, Grace Cummings, ARIA-winning Illawarra artist Elana Stone, and Gareth Liddiard of The Drones.
Melbourne Band Floodlights Steals the Show
For local resident and artist Paul Ryan, Melbourne band Floodlights emerged as the unexpected highlight of the festival. "They were extraordinary," Ryan exclaimed as the band left the Anita's Theatre stage. "Great song writing but just incredible energy and power, and like, all the people around me knew their songs and were just like absolutely like so stoked on it."
Ryan, a Thirroul-based painter and multiple Archibald finalist, celebrated the resurgence of live music in the region post-COVID. "We're back baby and we're loving it," he declared, emphasizing the importance of arts and live music to the Illawarra community.
The festival's growth reflects both the increasing popularity of the event and the strong appetite for live music experiences in regional Australian communities, even as organizers balance intimacy with accessibility for future editions.
