Image Credit: Eloise Coomber

CMC Rocks QLD Celebrates 20 Years in 2027, dates announced

Australia’s biggest country music party returns to Willowbank Raceway.

Australia’s hottest country music festival is gearing up for a milestone moment, with CMC Rocks QLD today announcing its 20th anniversary celebrations will take over Willowbank Raceway from Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 March 2027, with the festival running 19 – 21 March.

Following a massive 2026 edition that delivered unforgettable performances, surprise collaborations and thousands of fans singing into the night, CMC Rocks QLD is set to mark two decades of country music, community and all-out festival energy when it returns next March.

The festival has already cemented its place as one of the Southern Hemisphere’s most beloved country music events, with fans and media celebrating the unique spirit that has kept CMC Rocks growing year after year.

CMC Rocks 2027

When: Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 March 2027. 17 – 18 March camping only.

Where: Willowbank Raceway, QLD

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Festival Director and Chairman of Chugg Entertainment, Michael Chugg, said the 20th anniversary would celebrate everything that has made CMC Rocks a cornerstone of Australian country music.

“We couldn’t be more excited to kick off our 20th year celebrations in March. The legacy of CMC Rocks runs deep, as the festival continues to grow and blow even our minds. The sense of community and country spirit we experience each year is like nothing in this world and we’re proud to be able to connect our community with the hottest local and international talent around. Bring on 2027! It will be a wonderful memorial and celebration of the late Rob Potts’ vision of country music and Australia.”

Festival Director Jeremy Dylan added that the anniversary edition would honour the memories built across two decades while creating plenty of new ones.

“The journey of the last twenty years of CMC Rocks has been about making each year better than the last, a celebration of all the memories and moments that have built the incredible community around us and a promise to make some amazing new ones. We’ve been hard at work cooking up a 20th anniversary edition of the festival that is truly unforgettable, and we can’t wait to share this weekend with you all next March.”

From its first event in Thredbo in 2008, through chapters in the Hunter Valley and Townsville, to its current home at Willowbank, CMC Rocks QLD has grown into a must-do destination for country fans across Australia and beyond.

Now 20 years strong, the festival is more than just a weekend of live music — it’s a yearly pilgrimage. Generations of fans have made the trip, with longtime festivalgoers now bringing their own kids along to experience the magic, while a new wave of country fans prepare to join the CMC family for the first time.

And with the full 2027 lineup still to come, speculation is already reaching fever pitch.

The 2026 festival proved exactly why CMC Rocks continues to be one of the country’s most talked-about music events. From Tucker Wetmore’s unforgettable (and shirtless) debut to Dasha’s surprise crowd appearance, the Honky Tonk Stomp line dancing takeover and Lee Kernaghan joining James Johnston for a massive performance of ‘Boys From The Bush’, the weekend delivered no shortage of headline-worthy moments.

Across Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, more than 25,000 fans turned the festival grounds into one giant singalong, with some of country music’s biggest anthems echoing long after the sun disappeared.

The festival’s legendary spirit of collaboration was on full display, with artists joining forces for exclusive performances fans could only experience at CMC Rocks QLD. Tucker Wetmore joined Jordan Davis for a crowd-pleasing cover of Darius Rucker’s ‘Wagon Wheel’, Tyla Rodrigues and Braxton Keith performed their heartfelt duet ‘Do I Ever Cross Your Mind’, while Riley Green and Carly Pearce reunited for their stunning collaboration ‘If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay’.

Dasha also delivered one of the festival’s defining moments, jumping the barrier and bringing her chart-topping hit ‘Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)’ directly into the crowd as thousands of fans sang along.

Meanwhile, the beloved Songwriters Show once again offered one of the weekend’s most intimate experiences, with artists including Old Dominion, Waylon Wyatt, Riley Green, Elizabeth Nichols, Tucker Wetmore and Jordan Davis sharing the stories behind their songs before stripping them back for acoustic performances.

Away from the main stages, Nifty’s Sports Bar and the Tailgate precinct kept the party rolling, with bingo, fashion parades, trivia, interactive games and plenty of festival chaos keeping fans entertained from morning until night.

Closing out the weekend, Gavin Adcock transformed the Tailgate Stage into a full-blown rock ’n’ roll celebration, with fans packed in from front to back for a final performance that brought the 2026 festival to an unforgettable close.

Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said CMC Rocks QLD’s 20th anniversary represented a major milestone for one of Australia’s most successful country music festivals.

“Reaching this milestone speaks to what makes CMC Rocks so special, year after year it continues to bring people together through a shared love of country music and gives fans a reason to travel to Queensland from right across Australia and beyond.” Minister Powell said.

“The festival generated more than $16 million for Queensland’s economy in 2026, highlighting the important role events like this play in driving visitation to our great state and supporting local tourism operators, businesses and communities.

“Through Destination 2045, we’re focused on growing world-class events that strengthen Queensland’s reputation as Australia’s events capital, which is why the Crisafulli Government is pleased to continue supporting CMC Rocks through to 2028.”

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said CMC Rocks QLD has become a defining fixture on the city’s events calendar.

“Ipswich has been home to CMC Rocks since 2015, and that is not about to change as the festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary at Willowbank Raceway in 2027, and will return in 2028,” Mayor Harding said.

“More than 25,000 people attended this year’s CMC Rocks, enjoying all that Ipswich has to offer.

“Festivalgoers brought the energy but they also brought their tourism dollars, with CMC Rocks QLD generating more than $13 million for Ipswich’s economy.

“With Ipswich growing at unprecedented rates in population and in stature as a destination, CMC Rocks only promises to get bigger and better as country music remains the fastest growing music genre worldwide.”

CMC Rocks QLD returns to Willowbank Raceway from Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 March 2027, with the Festival open exclusively to campers on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th March.

Stay tuned for the full CMC Rocks QLD 2027 Artist Lineup – Coming later this year. Sign up here to keep up to date.