‘The Caloundra Music Festival aims to bring a broad audience of locals and visitors together in celebration, to enjoy world-class music, food, arts and local culture, and to showcase the natural beauty, creative talents and unique character of the Sunshine Coast.’

From 2nd to 5th October, the beautiful Kings Beach and surrounds will be treated to the sounds of a diverse line-up of entertainment featuring the best of the Australian music industry as well as famous international artists. Starting with fireworks on the official launch night, the festival is a vibrant mix of live art, roving performers, beachside carnival, buskers and free children’s entertainment in the Funky Forest.

Funky Forest is home to lots of exciting activities for the kids, allowing them to create, play and explore. Nestled under the shady trees of Kings Beach Park, there is fun for kids of all ages. All the fun and excitement of the daily workshops, sports and games can be found in the CMF (Caloundra Music Festival) mini program, which is available at the festival gates. Face Painting, Yoga Classes, Nature Mandalas, Jumping Castles, African Drumming Workshops, Juggling, Hula Hooping, Circus Trick Workshops, Arts and Crafts, Henna Stalls, Soccer and plenty of food to fuel the busiest of young attendees.

There is a massive range of different artists announced for this year’s festival, including some big names. For the younger audience, the biggest attraction would be the name ‘Allday’, an up and coming Australian ‘rap’ artist. Otherwise known as Tom Gaynor, he previously played in a punk band at school, which generated his initial interest in music. He began producing works under the Allday name in January 2011, after dropping out of art school. He has released an album, an EP and a number of mix tapes to date. These include “Soon I’ll Be In Cali”, “A Skateboard Soiree”, “Euphoria”, “Noue Yesue”, “Soon I’ll Be In Cali 2” and “Loners Are Cool”. He went on a national tour of Australia in May/June 2014. Labelled The Right Now National Tour, he held concerts in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. His debut album to be released in stores nationally was Startup Cult in July 2014, which a week after its release reached number 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was supported by a headlining tour around Australia. In December 2014 he released the single “Wolves” featuring Sunni Colón.

Personally the artist I’m most excited to experience is Sydney’s Ben Lee. ‘Over the course of a music career that, amazingly, now spans close to a quarter century, Ben Lee has quite literally grown up in front of our eyes — and our ears. And as with any lifelong journey, Lee’s musical trek has been dotted with unforeseen twists and turns, as well as explorations into unconventional and unexpected musical arenas. His latest statement, Love Is The Great Rebellion, his tenth studio album overall, at once signals both a revisiting of his past and an unequivocal rejection of it’. An intriguingly different artist who isn’t afraid to experiment and push the envelope.

For more information visit The Caloundra Music Festival website, and check out the full lineup here. Tickets start at $45.00 for a single day, or $235.00 for a full season pass.