Thousands of tents were packed up and visitors headed home, after another huge Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival came to a close. Locals from across the entertainment, business and hospitality sectors have agreed 2025 attracted more festival-goers than last year and will go down as one of the best festivals to date. From the appearance of superstar Keith Urban to boot-scootin’ from The Wiggles, there were many special moments.
Toyota Park had a strong crowd for the opening concert, while on Day 7 the audience was even bigger as thousands packed in to watch Kix Live in the Park featuring James Johnston and Zac & George.
Toyota FanZone was again popular with a line-up ranging from emerging talent to Australia’s most acclaimed country music stars. The Wolfe Brothers drew one of the biggest crowds seen when they were joined by Lee Kernaghan. Travis Collins and James Johnston also attracted big audiences.
This year, there were record entries across multiple events. The Golden Gig, sponsored by Macca’s young talent search, had a total of 90 children take to the stage. There were 527 busking registrations from around Australia and overseas, surpassing the record of 370 in 2024. Charley Castle & the Boys in the Well took out the Best of the Buskers Championships.
The industry's night of nights, the Toyota 53rd Golden Guitar Awards, at the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre was again the pinnacle event with Troy Cassar-Daley topping the winners' list with five trophies.