CONFIRMED: Australia Is Getting A Huge New Music Festival In 2018

September 15, 2017

A massive US-based music festival is coming to Australia to host 35,000 people and dozens of international and local bands in 2018.

Music Feeds can confirm that Hangout Festival is coming to Australia under a new name — SandTunes Festival — after City Of Gold Coast council secured a deal with festival organisers today.

The event will make its debut at Coolangatta Beach on the Gold Coast in December 2018, and will take place in the area for at least five years.

For reference, this year’s Hangout Festival lineup featured the likes of Mumford & Sons, Twenty One Pilots, Chance The Rapper, Phoenix, Major Lazer, Weezer and MGMT.

Speaking after today’s council vote, City Of Gold Coast Councillor and Chair of Economic Development Hermann Vorster said, “It’s an exciting festival. It will bring 35,000 people to that beach each day for two days, and inject tens of millions of dollars into the economy.

“But most excitingly — the parties involved in this festival have attracted the likes of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses to various locations across the world, and it would be my hope that they would do precisely the same on the Gold Coast, seeing as they’ve got this particular festival up off the ground.”

Vorster also addressed noise concerns in the Coolangatta area, noting that there are “very tough local laws” that will “protect as far as possible amenity and the natural environment”.

“The proponent will have an obligation to meet all of those obligations under local law,” he said. “No special treatment”.

Councillors voted in favour of the festival earlier this week, but a five-year deal with City Of Gold Coast was formally secured today.

SandTunes will be run by Australian promoters TEG Dainty, their US partner AEG and local partner Cross Promotions. The deal made today also contains an option for an additional five years of the festival on top of the original five, if everything goes smoothly.

For a taste of what Australia’s in store for, check out the gallery of photos from Hangout Festival, below.