General News
20 October, 2026
Done and dusted!
THOUSANDS of voices singing along to American Pie provided one of the defining moments of Savannah in the Round 2026, despite the festival seeing a fall in attendances.
The singalong with Don McLean was one of many standout moments across the weekend, which welcomed 8,290 people and recorded more than 23,405 attendances at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds.
However, those numbers were down compared to last year’s festival (~11,500 people and ~32,000 attendances), which saw the likes of the Zac Brown Band and Jackson Dean as just some of the headliners.
Nonetheless, festivalgoers still experienced a weekend to remember, with Icehouse belting out more than four decades of Australian hits and US country artist Tyler Braden bringing a taste of Nashville to Mareeba.
Lee Kernaghan reminded the crowd exactly why he remains one of the biggest names in Australian country music, while The Wolfe Brothers brought Friday night home with a huge late-night set.
Festival director James Dein said the weekend had run exceptionally smoothly, helped by good weather and a diverse program.
“It has been a great weekend. We were blessed with the weather, everything ran really smoothly, and most importantly, we had happy patrons,” he said after the event.
“The program was incredibly diverse. We had Don McLean and I couldn’t believe the number of young people lining up to hear American Pie. To have around 7,500 people singing that song together was amazing.
“Then there was Icehouse. Their music really is the soundtrack to Australia in so many ways, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
“Friday night was huge for country music as well, with Lee Kernaghan, Tyler Braden and The Wolfe Brothers, along with some fantastic emerging Australian artists including Max Jackson.”
Camping again formed a major part of the Savannah experience, with more than 5,500 campers setting up across 1,600 sites.
Mr Dein said the campground had become an important part of the event, with everything from swags and tents to large caravans and “big rigs” rolling into Mareeba for the four days.
“Some people like to keep it laid-back with a swag or tent, while others arrive with the big rigs, but they are all here for the same reason, to have a great time.”
He said attracting visitors to Mareeba and encouraging them to stay longer in the wider region remained central to Savannah in the Round.
“Savannah was always established as a tourism event,” Mr Dein said.
“We are in the business of event tourism, bringing people to the region and encouraging them to stay and explore, with the average extended visit around four nights.
“That is a significant boost for the local economy, and it puts Mareeba on the map. People are staying here, buying fuel, eating locally and spending money throughout the region.”
The festival came to a close last Sunday with another full day of entertainment, culminating in Missy Higgins and Chocolate Starfish closing out the 2026 party.
Mr Dein thanked festivalgoers, artists, staff, volunteers, contractors, partners, and the Mareeba community for helping deliver another successful Savannah in the Round.
“It takes a huge number of people to put Savannah together and we couldn’t do it without the support we receive from Mareeba and across Tropical North Queensland,” he said.
“Most importantly, thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, rolled out a swag, brought their family and mates and joined us for four days. We know they are going home with a few stories to tell.”
