Make Savannah in the Round the reason for your next Queensland road trip

There are road trips, and then there are road trips with a very good reason waiting at the other end. From 8-11 October 2026, Savannah in the Round returns to the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds, bringing four days of live music, camping and good times to Tropical North Queensland.

And this year’s line-up makes a strong case for pointing the car north.

ICEHOUSE, Don McLean, Missy Higgins, Lee Kernaghan, Ian Moss & Troy Cassar-Daley, Tyler Braden, The Wolfe Brothers, Busby Marou, San Cisco, Dragon, GANGgajang and Mental As Anything are among more than 60 artists taking over multiple stages across the festival.

The music stretches well beyond country, with Australian rock, pop, blues, folk and international acts all finding their place on the Savannah program.

But half the fun is getting there. Mareeba sits on the Atherton Tablelands, around an hour’s drive west of Cairns, making Savannah an easy addition to a bigger Tropical North Queensland road trip. Come up early, stay a few days longer and there’s plenty worth pulling over for along the way.

Think country pubs and local produce, waterfalls, rainforest, swimming holes, coffee plantations and those little Tablelands towns where a quick stop can easily turn into an afternoon. Then there’s Savannah itself.

Camping at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds puts festivalgoers right in the middle of the action. Set up the caravan, roll out the swag or make life easy with a pre-pitched tent or glamping option. Once the car is parked, the weekend can properly begin.

There’s even a head start for campers, with Thursday’s Campers Concert and Great Northern Bullriding Series kicking things off before the full festival program rolls into Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Whether the road trip starts in Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane or much further afield, Savannah is a pretty good excuse to gather the crew, load the car and take the long way to Mareeba.

Tickets and camping are on sale now for Savannah in the Round, 8-11 October 2026.