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.
Thy Gympie Music Muster is a valuable case study for the country at large. How has a small town in Queensland managed to sustainably grow its audience over four decades? Insights are below.
Table of Contents
1. Community roots are the backbone of the Gympie Music Muster
The Gympie Music Muster is owned by the Apex Club of Gympie, an organisation designed to help communities at a grass-roots level. That makes the Gympie Music Muster different from many others, where corporate ownership means the focus needs to be on an economic return. It is difficult to overstate the power of this singular intention, which has reverberations across every aspect of the festival.
In contrast, the Gympie Music Muster focuses on raising funds for communities in need. 2025’s main charity partner was River’s Gift, devoted to SIDS research.
2. Place + experience > just a gig
Like many regional festivals, the Gympie Music Muster leverages its relative isolation as a feature of the festival experience, rather than a downside. The muster is synonymous with camping. Entire sections of the festival grounds are devoted to camping and outdoor retailers. This adds an immersive dimension that is separate from – but related to – the artistic experience of the music itself.
3. Logistics in the long-term
Managing a large festival in a regional setting isn’t easy. Having 50,000 people visit Gympie annually has meant a fundamental rethinking of how the town functions and what it prioritises. The muster partners with the local council, and many of the leadership staff are long-time residents of Gympie itself. That has meant long-term investment in road maintenance, campsite planning, and scaling safety and logistics systems to manage the growth of the muster.
4. Regional festivals are economic powerhouses
The focus on community and remaining unapologetically local has meant sustainable economic growth for Gympie. It’s estimated the muster injected $17 million into the local economy. The festival supports approximately 800 arts workers annually. Of course, it also has deep impacts on local hospitality businesses, as well as local retailers and providers.
It isn’t easy to imagine any other kind of event producing this much income for a regional town single-handedly. But it is because the muster’s priority on the local community has given it long-term sustainability and growth.
5. Diversity as a core practice
Diversity isn’t just a buzzword. City slickers may unfairly view country music festivals as unlikely locations for diversity, but the 2025 line-up included 140 artists, including international and local acts, an Indigenous showcase program, children’s programming, workshops, and more.
Engaging a wide net for artists has meant survival for the festival, which leverages its diverse pool of talent to attract more visitors. Country music remains the festival’s focus, allowing for a consistent tone throughout the years. Finding ways to expand its offerings within the central genre has allowed for long-term, sustainable growth.
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