General News
12 August, 2025
Savannah surges ahead
SAVANNAH in the Round is surging ahead to keep up with its ever-growing demand by undergoing a massive campsite expansion to accommodate an extra 2,400 festival goers this year.
The decision to expand the campsite area follows a staggering 32% year-on-year growth in ticket sales, with a growing number of ticket holders opting for the “full Savannah experience” – a highlight which includes camping under the stars, convenient walking distance to all the stages, and onsite amenities.
Last year’s festival hosted 4,800 people across 2,000 campsites, and with an extra 330 large campsites being added, it will now have the capacity to accommodate 7,200 people.
Festival director James Dein said that camping had always been at the heart of the Savannah in the Round experience.
“It’s about music and mateship, bringing your tribe, setting up camp and being part of something special,” he said.
“We are seeing incredible enthusiasm from new fans, and we know there is still a big cohort of regulars yet to lock in.
“With demand like this, we wanted to ensure everyone who wants to be part of the experience has the opportunity to stay close to the action.”
The new campsites will be added on the eastern side of Kerribee Park, where the festival is held, all of which are large sites. Local contractor Charlie Nastasi began slashing and preparing new paddocks on Monday.
Mr Dein said he and his team take their brand very seriously and this year they’ve been more efficient and “way more” organised.
“We learn from our mistakes, we take advice on board, and every year we try to improve, and our patrons know that. So, we’ve become a trusted experience,” he said.
“We have the best sound and lighting production, and we really do care about our campers and our patrons, and we’ll show them even more love this year.
“We also have overflow camping already scheduled and planned at the rear of the Mareeba International Club, and we’re in discussions with the International Club about how that may roll.
“That way we have campsites up our sleeve so we’re not turning anyone away. The International Club have been wonderful… and we’ll have that finalised very shortly.”
Mr Dein said this year’s festival was on track to attract more than 12,000 people, with 58% of current ticketholders attending for the first time.
“That kind of growth speaks to what a great event Savannah has become, there is nothing quite like it,” he said.
“We are expecting more than 30,000 through the gates across the four days, which shows just how many people are making a full weekend of it.”
Even with the festival expecting to host its biggest audience in 2025, Mr Dein was confident his team could handle the large influx of traffic that will converge on Mareeba.
“We have a very experienced festival, camping and site management team who work on the largest camping and music festivals in the country… I’ve got the A Grade team,” he said.
“We’ll let the campers in early, most of our campers are there for the full time. So, we open the gates early and the ingress is managed over a few days, not all in one day.
“Once we’ve got our campers in, they stay there. They don’t really travel to town much, or at all.
“We also run a free shuttle bus from the campgrounds to Mareeba every 20 minutes for four days. From 10am in the morning to 3am in the morning, we run a constant shuttle…and that helps keep cars off the road.
Now in its sixth year, Savannah in the Round has cemented its place as one of Queensland’s major destination festivals, combining international acts, Australian music legends and emerging Queensland talent across multiple stages.
This year’s program features US artists Zac Brown Band and Jackson Dean, with Aussie music legends The Black Sorrows, James Reyne, Kasey Chambers, Casey Barnes, James Johnston, Amy Sheppard, Beccy Cole, Daryl Braithwaite, Rose Tattoo and many more.
The festival will be held from 9-12 October at Kerribee Park, Mareeba. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.savannahintheround.com.au.
