Woodburnia announces its farewell with an almost entirely local lineup

Woodburnia is coming to an end.

Gadigal Land/Sydney-based promoter and creative group Burnia's festival in the Northern NSW hinterland will run one last time from Thursday, February 11 to Sunday, February 14 next year, and the lineup for its final edition was shared today.

Overall, it reads as a thank-you to the scene it was born from. Every act on its final lineup comes from local scenes around the country. While the festival has never relied on international star power to help sell its tickets, 2027’s bill reads as a refreshing and encouraging nod to the people in its own backyard, often overshadowed by the desire for “more” than just a local by more established promoters.

The festival began over New Year’s Eve 2021/2022, with a second edition in February 2023 taking it to a new site in the NSW hinterland, on unceded Gumbaynggirr Country, roughly 6 hours north of Sydney. There, Woodburnia made itself a home, with its latest edition in 2025 inspiring a year off. At the time, organisers called it a year to reset and reimagine. Now, with that hindsight, such a break reads as the run-up to a suited farewell.

Plenty of names from Woodburnia past return for that send-off, including MzRizk and D-Grade, who both played the 2023 and 2025 editions. Tangerine returns from the 2023 bill, and Unpin, Safari Park and EOFY from 2025.

A variety of heavy-hitting locals grace Woodburnia’s stage also, including Mixmag ANZ Cover Artists Kia and Cousin, Decay head Jungist, Oomycota label’s own Amuwa and Tangela, the latter playing back-to-back with the only internationally billed artist, France’s Hewan Aman, as well as CHEAHDX, fbi radio faithful Simon Caldwell with his show producer and rising selector Mazzacles, Steeplejack head Harold, Orb and more.

Woodburnia has long been an intimate event, and in 2027, the festival continues to emphasise not only the power of a single dance floor, but the curatorial possibilities of a more traditionally “chill” tent. Its Scribbly Gum stage is one of Woodburnia’s standout strengths, and this year its programming includes Prion-affiliated downtempo programmer Blur, who will do a full-day takeover.

Spearheaded by local DJ Kendal, Blur’s takeover on Saturday invites a wide variety of trusted voices to deliver DJ, live, and hybrid sets, including Smriti, Alias Error, con pani b2b dav, zzami, sina, other joe, Command D, onemilliondollarsplese, and Emelexy.

In a landscape increasingly dominated by news of large-scale festivals, international lineups and more trending sounds, Woodburnia’s departure from NSW’s musical offering is one sure to be sorely missed.

However, with only a small history to its name, the festival has proven confidently that the best and most impactful cultural collaborations are one achieved through passion and perseverance beyond all else.

Woodburnia’s 2027 pre-sale, open to those who have attended before, is open now. The general on-sale begins on Tuesday, November 17 at 6 PM AEDT.

-

Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor. Find him on Instagram.