5 lessons from the Gympie Music Muster on the impressive power of regional music festivals

The Gympie Music Muster has bucked national trends of struggling music festivals, instead demonstrating sustainable growth for four decades.
The Gympie Music Muster has grown steadily over forty-three years.

The population of Gympie, Queensland, is approximately 20,000, but come August, the town triples in size. The Gympie Music Muster, alive and thriving in its forty-third year, welcomes tens of thousands from across the country in a celebration of country music.

The Gympie Music Muster bucks a nationwide trend of struggling music festivals. Among industry and audiences, the muster is talked about fondly, and its audience has only grown in the years since COVID-19.

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David Burton is a writer from Meanjin, Brisbane. David also works as a playwright, director and author. He is the playwright of over 30 professionally produced plays. He holds a Doctorate in the Creative Industries.