BIGSOUND announces 2025 First Nations Goolwal Goolwal program

BIGSOUND 2025 is happening from Tuesday 2 to Friday 5 September in Brisbane/Magandjin’s Fortitude Valley. The event’s Goolwal Goolwal component is curated and led by a team of First Nations industry experts and artists. The program includes performances, workshops, panels and cultural knowledge sharing.

“Goolwal Goolwal” is the Yuggera language translation of “Big Sound.” Fortitude Valley’s Sound Garden will become the Goolwal Garden for the duration of BIGSOUND, with activities happening from morning till evening on Monday 1 to Thursday 4 September.

There’s a VIP welcome event at 6pm on Monday, and BIGSOUND’s offical Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony is on at 11.45am on Tuesday, delivered by Quandamooka and Bundjalung woman Sandra King.

Briggs‘ Bad Apples Music continue their tenth anniversary celebrations with Now And Forever: the BIGSOUND Edition on Tuesday. The lineup of performers is TBA. On Wednesday morning, Briggs will be in conversation with Kobie Dee.

Fellow Bad Apples artist Barkaa will participate in multiple panels: two presented by Support Act’s First Nations team, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and one titled Leave Britney Alone: Navigating Notoriety, which will focus on how artists feel pressured to be spokespeople on certain issues, and the potential repercussions for speaking up.

The Goolwal Goolwal programming wraps up with The Block Party Connect: From Boorloo to Magandjin, which kicks off at 4.30pm Thursday on the Brunswick Street Mall Stage and will feature performances from Perth/Boorloo acts FLEWNT, INKABEE, Downsyde, Taija, JJ Vacant, TEHIIRI and more.

Find more details of Goolwal Goolwal at BIGSOUND 2025 here.

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BIGSOUND’s 2025 lineup includes more than 130 artists, ranging from 18-year-old Nigerian-born, Naarm-based rapper Zafty to Marrickville-based rapper/producer mumfighter and Wiradjuri DJ and producer c_h_l__o_e. Some of the more established acts on the program are electronic/R&B artist WAFIA, neo-soul artist Kaiit, dream pop artist Hatchie, singer-songwriter Azure Ryder, and the aforementioned 12-year-old hip hop artist Inkabee. Find the complete BIGSOUND 2025 lineup here.

Artists will perform across 18 stages at BIGSOUND 2025. The music festival is just one part of the program, with an industry conference taking place simultaneously. More details on this year’s conference speakers here.

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Tue 2 – Fri 5 Sept – Fortitude Valley, Brisbane/Magandjin QLD

1NN3R53LF (VIC)
Aidan Fine (NZ)
Akala Newman (NSW)
Ama (NSW)
Amélie Farren (QLD)
ATLVS (VIC)
AZURE RYDER (NSW)
BADASSMUTHA (QLD)
Bad/Love (VIC)
Bad Juju (VIC)
The Beefs (WA)
BESTIES (NSW)
BIRREN (NSW)
Borderline (NZ)
Briana Dinsdale (QLD)
Buddy Knox (NSW)
BVT (NSW)
Charli Lucas (NSW)
Charlie Needs Braces (VIC)
CHEEKY LEASH (NSW)
c_h_l__o_e (NSW)
Chloe Styler (QLD)
Chor Bazaar (VIC)
Cloning (WA)
Closure (NSW)
Coast Arcade (NZ)
Cooper Smith (VIC)
Cora (QLD)
Corrella (NZ)
Dani Enli (WA)
Darcie Haven (WA)
daste. (QLD)
Day We Ran (QLD)
DENIM (QLD)
Denzel Kennedy (QLD)
disphing (QLD)
dogworld (VIC)
Down And Out (SA)
Downsyde (WA)
Dylan Wright (NSW)
effe (QLD)
Eliza & The Delusionals (NSW)
Ella Ion (SA)
Elly-May Barnes (NSW)
EMEREE (VIC)
Flamingo Pier (NZ)
FLEWNT (WA)
Flynn Gurry (VIC)
Frankie Venter (NZ)
Fred Leone (QLD)
George Alice (SA)
Georgia Knight (VIC)
GLVES (QLD)
Grecco Romank (NZ)
Harper Bloom (VIC)
Hatchie (QLD)
HEADSEND (NSW)
Heartline (SA)
heyzuko! (WA)
Homesick (NSW)
Horse (NSW)
IJALE (VIC)
INKABEE (WA)
Intermood (VIC)
JJ Vacant (WA)
James Range Band (NT)
JÄMO & Kumi (VIC)
Jet Walker (QLD)
Jet Vesper (ACT)
Josh Hannan (VIC)
Josh Setterfield (QLD)
Josie (QLD)
KAIIT (VIC)
Kat Edwards (VIC)
Kayps (WA)
KSMBA (VIC)
KYE (VIC)
Last Quokka (WA)
LATE 90S (VIC)
LAZY GHOST (NSW)
Le Shiv (NSW)
Letters To Lions (NSW)
Lola Scott (NSW)
Lucky (VIC)
LUMENS (SA)
Lyric (QLD)
Mannequin Death Squad (VIC)
Mariae Cassandra (WA)
Marlon (SA)
Mel Blue (VIC)
Michael Honan (VIC)
Mid Drift (QLD)
Mikeyy (NZ)
Mincy (NSW)
MOZË (VIC)
mumfighter (NSW)
Nate G (NSW)
nightlight (VIC)
Phoebe Rings (NZ)
Pisco Sour (VIC)
Polish Club (NSW)
Purée (SA)
RAGEFLOWER (NSW)
REDD. (VIC)
Ringlets (NZ)
Robbie Mortimer (QLD)
Robert Baxter (VIC)
Rod Coote (VIC)
RNZŌ (NZ)
Seb Szabo (VIC)
Shock Corridor (TAS)
sleepazoid (VIC)
The Southern River Band (WA)
Spike Fuck (VIC)
the stamps (VIC)
Sunsick Daisy (SA)
Sweet Talk (VIC)
Taija (WA)
TEHIIRI (WA)
THAT GURL BELLA (NSW)
Theeth (NSW)
There’s A Tuesday (NZ)
Tiana Khasi (VIC)
The Tullamarines (SA)
Tyla Rodrigues (QLD)
UGLi (QLD)
Ullah (WA)
Velvet Bloom (VIC)
VV-Ace (VIC)
WAFIA (QLD)
The Wet Whistles (QLD)
Wishlist (VIC)
Yung Maynie (SA)
Zafty (VIC)

Find all the details at bigsound.org.au

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