COUNTRY’S ALWAYS BEEN COOL IN TAMWORTH

Tamworth Country Music Festival

From cowboy hats to cowgirl boots, country themed albums and a resurgence of classic country sounds, the well-known genre and all that it encompasses has made its mark in popular culture this year. In early 2024, US based artists Lainey Wilson made light of the trend in her hit single ‘Country’s Cool Again’. But as the 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival edges closer, it’s evident country’s always been cool in Tamworth!

Proclaimed Australia’s ‘Country Music Capital’ in 1969 by Radio 2TM, Tamworth hosted its first Country Music Festival four years later. In the lead up to the 2025 event, Tamworth is reinforcing its position as the home of country music and embracing the popular move toward the authentic look and sound which attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the Region every January.

For 10 jam-packed days in January, 2025, Tamworth will welcome thousands of visitors to the nation’s largest celebration of country music. Held during the Summer School Holidays, it’s an event not only for music lovers, but for families, young adults, party-goers and travellers. The festival features hundreds of artists performing free and ticketed shows. Tamworth is where memories are made.
On Tuesday 8 October, two of Australia’s “coolest” country music singers Max Jackson and Wade Forster strutted their way through Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, decked out in their own cool classic country gear. Their authentic outfits stood out in a stream of business attire and urban casual wear. Confident and striking, Max and Wade captured the essence of what it means to be country.

Newcastle-based artist Max Jackson is a country girl through and through, having grown up in Coonamble, in regional New South Wales. Max rose to fame, winning Toyota Star Maker in 2022. This year she was awarded her first Golden Guitar award for New Talent of the Year. She will return in 2025 to host the Awards alongside singer James Johnston. Max Jackson is also an official ambassador the Tamworth Country Music Festival. On October 4, she released her latest single “Hold My Horses”.

Wade Forster is an upcoming force in the country music industry and in January 2024, he was crowned 44th Toyota Star Maker winner. Born in outback Queensland, Wade was raised listening to country music. He’s also a professional rodeo cowboy! Wade continues to release new music, including his latest single “Off The Drugs” and will perform his own show during the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2025.