One Night Stand (festival)
Australian regional music festival
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One Night Stand is an annual music festival held in various regional Australian towns that is organised and promoted by national youth radio station Triple J. It started in 2004 in Natimuk, Victoria, and ran every year until 2019, with one break in 2015 for the broadcaster's Beat the Drum event. One Night Stand did not run for four years from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned to Warrnambool, Victoria in 2024 despite a series of major Australian festivals cancelling due to financial difficulties.[1][2]
| One Night Stand | |
|---|---|
Map of the towns where One Night Stand has been hosted, as of 2026. | |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Country | Australia |
| Years active | 2004–2019; 2024–present |
| Inaugurated | 28 July 2004 (Natimuk, Victoria) |
Most recent | 5 September 2026 (Griffith, New South Wales) |
| Organised by | Triple J |
In the early years of the One Night Stand, the host town was selected in the form of a competition where residents of the town had to gain approval from their local government as well as find a suitable venue. Triple J would arranges the artists to perform – usually four to five high-profile Australian bands of a variety of genres, alongside a local band that had uploaded their music to Triple J Unearthed. In its initial run, tickets were free for all ages, however since 2024, they have been at a cost of at least $10, with all proceeds donated to charity.[3] The festival's record attendance was its 2018 event in St Helens, Tasmania, reaching a capacity of 20,000 in a town of approximately 2,000.
History
The concept of the One Night Stand was the brainchild of Triple J's then-marketing manager Louis Rogers, with the intention of raising the awareness and relevance of the radio station in regional communities. Backed by funding from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the first event was held in Natimuk, Victoria on Wednesday, 28 July 2004 and featured acts such as Grinspoon, the Dissociatives, Koolism and Eskimo Joe. The location was chosen from a pool of submissions sent to the station, which required entrances to produce a letter from their town's mayor, permission from a venue, a petition, and a souvenir. The Natimuk organising committee submitted a petition of 3,000 names, considerably more than the town's population of approximately 500. They also raised $30,000 in pledges from local businesses to support the event.[citation needed]
List of events
| Year | Date | Location | State/territory | Population[a] | Attendance[b] | Performers | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Wednesday, 28 July | Natimuk | Victoria | 423[4] | 9,000 | Grinspoon, The Dissociatives, Koolism, Eskimo Joe, Less Than Perfection | [5] |
| 2005 | Wednesday, 18 May | Ayr | Queensland | 8,334[6] | 10,000 | Hilltop Hoods, Shihad, Katalyst, End of Fashion, A14 | [7] |
| 2006 | Wednesday, 12 April | Port Pirie | South Australia | 13,206[8] | 10,000 | The Living End, Kid Kenobi and MC Shurestock, Xavier Rudd, The Herd, Sector 12 | [9][10] |
| 2007 | Friday, 20 April | Cowra | New South Wales | 10,358[11] | 10,000 | Silverchair, FunkTrust, Midnight Juggernauts, Behind Crimson Eyes, Flatline Drama, Leap of Faith | [12][13] |
| 2008 | Saturday, 26 April | Collie | Western Australia | 7,404[14] | 15,000 | Cog, Pnau, Faker, This End Up | [15] |
| 2009 | Saturday, 30 May | Sale | Victoria | 13,043[16] | 15,000 | Hilltop Hoods, Eskimo Joe, The Butterfly Effect, Miami Horror, Children Collide, And Burn | [17] |
| 2010 | Saturday, 27 March | Alice Springs | Northern Territory | 21,622[18] | 6,000 | John Butler Trio, Gyroscope, Bluejuice, Washington, Tjupi Band | [19][20] |
| 2011 | Saturday, 2 April | Tumby Bay | South Australia | 1,827[21] | 10,000 | Birds of Tokyo, Art vs. Science, The Jezabels, Joshy Willo | [22][23] |
| 2012 | Saturday, 2 June | Dalby | Queensland | 12,299[24] | 15,000 | The Temper Trap,[c] 360, Stonefield, Matt Corby, Mace and the Motor | [25] |
| 2013 | Saturday, 13 April | Dubbo | New South Wales | 32,327[26] | 18,000 | Flume, The Rubens, Ball Park Music, Seth Sentry, Peoples Palace | [27] |
| 2014 | Saturday, 17 May | Mildura | Victoria | 30,647[28] | 17,000 | Illy, Rüfüs Du Sol, Dan Sultan, Violent Soho, The Jungle Giants, Wzrdkid | [29] |
| 2015 | Not held | [30] | |||||
| 2016 | Saturday, 9 April | Geraldton | Western Australia | 31,982[31] | 15,000 | Alison Wonderland, Boy & Bear, Urthboy, Alex the Kid | [32][33] |
| 2017 | Saturday, 22 April | Mount Isa | Queensland | 18,342[34] | 7,000 | Thundamentals, The Smith Street Band, Tash Sultana, San Cisco, Lucky Luke | [35] |
| 2018 | Saturday, 1 September | St Helens | Tasmania | 2,070[36] | 20,000 | Peking Duk, Vance Joy, Tkay Maidza, Middle Kids, Alex the Astronaut, The Sleepyheads | [37] |
| 2019 | Saturday, 14 September | Lucindale | South Australia | 555[38] | 15,000 | Hilltop Hoods, Meg Mac, Ocean Alley, G Flip, Chelsea Manor | [39] |
| 2020 | Not held | [40] | |||||
| 2021 | |||||||
| 2022 | |||||||
| 2023 | |||||||
| 2024 | Saturday, 14 September | Warrnambool | Victoria | 32,894[41] | 15,000[42] | G Flip, Ruel, What So Not, Thelma Plum, Sycco, DICE, Flynn Gurry | [40] |
| 2025 | Saturday, 24 May | Busselton | Western Australia | 40,640[43] | 15,000[44] | Spacey Jane, Luude, Ruby Fields, 3%, Blusher, Velvet Trip | [45] |
| 2026 | Saturday, 5 September | Griffith | New South Wales | 20,569 | 12,000[46] | Ninajirachi, DMA's, Genesis Owusu, May-a, Beddy Rays | [47] |
Notes
- Population figures are sourced from the Census in Australia nearest to the event date.
- Attendance figures are approximate.
- The Temper Trap's headline set was cancelled due to extreme weather.
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Triple J's One Night Stand | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated | [48] |
| 2014 | Triple J's One Night Stand: Mildura | Nominated |
