Rock on! Illawarra live music events secure funding to keep the beat going

Wollongong’s Yours and Owls music festival has received a major funding boost to help the show continue into the future.

The federal government funding will provide support to 105 organisations across Australia through the Revive Live program, with Yours and Owls receiving one of the highest grants of $250,000.

Festival director Adam Smith said the organisation was grateful to the government for backing Yours and Owls.

“This support allows us to continue championing Australian artists and delivering a festival the Illawarra can be proud of, while also helping sustain a stronger and more resilient live music industry,” he said.

“We look forward to bringing everyone together again in 2026,” he said.

It hasn’t always been an easy ride for Wollongong’s biggest music festival over the past decade.

It struggled to find a permanent home in the past few years and was hit hard by COVID-19, followed by poor weather.

In 2023 organisers signed a three-year deal to base the festival at the University of Wollongong but only one festival was staged on campus.

This year the weekend-long celebration was moved to Wollongong’s Flagstaff Hill and became the first festival in NSW where patrons could access a free pill-testing site to have drugs tested for potentially life-threatening or unknown substances.

Other Illawarra organisations to receive Revive Live funding include the Servo Food Truck Bar at Port Kembla which will receive $72,000 for artist fees; Wollongong’s La La La’s will get $33,832 for artist fees, equipment and infrastructure upgrade; and $129,000 will go to the Kangaroo Valley Music Festival Series for artist fees, marketing, professional development, equipment, production and accessibility costs for its 2026 events.

Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said the program was continuing to provide much-needed support at a particularly difficult time for the Australian live music industry.

The Servo at Port Kembla has received an injection of federal government funding. Photo: Supplied.

“We understand the challenges contributing to cancellations and closures among the live music scene, that’s why the Albanese Labor Government established Revive Live, to provide targeted support,” he said.

“Gigs have always been a huge part of my life. I know the vital role live music venues and festivals play in providing local artists with the chance to perform, develop and grow audiences.

“Music lovers should be able to enjoy local gigs, artists should be able to make a career out of their music and Revive Live is doing just that.”

Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes said local festivals were an important part of the Illawarra’s vibrant culture and would help ensure people could celebrate and listen to live music without needing to travel.

“Supporting our festivals means supporting jobs, supporting tourism, and ensuring local people can have fun and enjoy live music right here at home,” she said.

“It’s been such a tough few years, and I am so proud to be supporting these great organisations to keep music and culture alive in Wollongong.

“Not only this, but the funding helps to support local artists to get onto the stage and spread their music to bigger audiences, making sure that Australian music has a place in our live entertainment well into the future.”

Further south, the Milton Theatre, which hosts local and visiting musicians as well as showcasing community plays and musical productions, has received a $20,000 grant to help with production costs.

Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said she was thrilled to support local organisations to ensure venues and festivals remained open and accessible to all audiences.

“These events are so important for bringing our community together and providing opportunities for local performers to hit the stage,” she said.