A Guide For CMC Rocks 2026: Everything You Need To Know

Emily Wilson

With headliners like Jordan Davis, Old Dominion, and Riley Green, this year’s CMC Rocks festival is shaping up to be massive. Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of it.

CMC Rocks 2025
CMC Rocks 2025(Credit: Darcy Goss Media)
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It’s coming on that time of year again: CMC Rocks, the premier country music festival in Australia, is returning to Queensland imminently.

It is time to prepare yourself accordingly for three days of over thirty exceptional Aussie and international country acts, including the likes of the beloved Jordan Davis, Nashville heavyweights Old Dominion, and honky-tonk legend Riley Green.

CMC Rocks is such a marathon of entertainment – to the point that one can become easily overwhelmed. But don’t worry, we at Countrytown have got you. Read on for information and details about the exciting festival, and get ready for a weekend of fun.

VENUE & DATES

This year, CMC Rocks will take place over three days, kicking off on Friday, March 20th and wrapping up Sunday, March 22nd.

The festival will return to the Willowbank Raceway in Ipswich, just off the Cunningham Highway, about 30-to-45 minutes southwest of Brisbane. If you’re driving to the festival, copy-paste this address into your GPS app of choice: 38 Champions Way, Willowbank, QLD 4306.

The campgrounds – which are in and around Willowbank Motor Sports Precinct – all open at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 18th. The Tailgate Precinct officially opens at 4:30pm on the same day.

LINE-UP

19 years on from its first iteration, CMC Rocks continues to deliver with an absolutely stacked 2026 line-up.

Event organisers have locked in an abundance of talent. Jordan Davis, Old Dominion, and Riley Green will headline the festival, and they will be joined by the likes of country favourites such as, singer-songwriter Carley Peace, country-pop darling Dasha, and firefighter turned country powerhouse, Tyler Braden, among others.

Check out the complete line-up below.

  • Jordan Davis

  • Old Dominion

  • Riley Green

  • Carly Pearce

  • Tucker Wetmore

  • Dasha

  • Gavin Adcock

  • Tyler Braden

  • Hudson Westbrook

  • James Johnston

  • Waylon Wyatt

  • Bayker Blankenship

  • Braxton Keith

  • Vincent Mason

  • George Birge

  • Willow Avalon

  • Casey Barnes

  • Alexandra Kay

  • The Castellows

  • Jake Worthington

  • Elizabeth Nichols

  • Lauren Watkins

  • Wade Forster

  • Sara Berki

  • The Wet Whistles

  • Hayley Jensen

  • Robbie Mortimer

  • Bella Mackenzie

  • Tyla Rodrigues

  • Mackenzie May

  • Mack Geiger

  • Briana Dinsdale

  • Jade Gibson

  • TheWesternGuide

  • Dee Jaye Bux

  • Rattlesnake Johnny

  • Country Night

With stage hosts Storme Warren, Mike Carr, and D.J. Grizzly Adams.

SET TIMES & MAPS

All headliners will be playing on the Rebel Stage. Riley Green will be headlining on Friday at 10 pm, Old Dominion will be headlining on Saturday at 10 pm, and Jordan Davis will be headlining at 9:10 pm on Sunday.

Aside from the headliners, the three days will begin at 9:30 am at the Back Forty. That stage will feature acts including Tahnee Rose, Edgar Conlon, Liam Maihi, Ella Hartwig, Reese Hutchinson, and Zac Griffith.

From 10:15 am, the Tailgate Stage will showcase the likes of Mackenzie May and Jade Gibson.

And at 2 pm on Friday, 1:50 on Saturday, and 2:10 pm on Sunday, the Stampede Stage will feature acts such as Elizabeth Nichols, Braxton Keith, Carly Pearce, Dasha, Tyla Rodrigues, and more.

The event maps are now available to be viewed via the official CMC Rocks website here, on the festival’s official Instagram, or can be downloaded via the festival’s special app.

Exact playing times can be downloaded here.

FOOD & MARKET STALLS

This year, as always, CMC Rocks is offering up a plethora of scrumptious and inclusive eating options. Food vendors include Bahns On Wheels, Boost Juice, Vegan Hut, Tiki Bowl, Samurai Kitchen, Smash Burger Society, Little Mamak Malaysian.

And that’s just to name a few! The full list of food vendors is available here.

The list of available market stalls is equally wondrous: curated fashion, jewellery, top delicacies and homemade trinkets and goods abound.

Punters will be able to peruse wares from top eyewear retailer Blue Star Eyewear, locally handmade macramé craft-seller Feel Good Macramé, high-quality, handcrafted metal art from Etch4You Pty Ltd, and more. View the full list of market stalls here.

INTERVIEWS

Speaking to Megan Hopkings for Countrytown, headliner Jordan Davis says of sitting at the top of the bill at CMC Rocks this year, “When you say it like that, it is kind of weird. That’s crazy.”

Rising country star Mackenzie May, gearing up for her first ever CMC Rocks appearance confided in a recent interview with Countrytown, “I am feeling so excited,” she gushes.

“I was feeling a little nervous about it, because I’ve never done anything like this before. But I honestly cannot wait to just share my music with people.”

TICKETS

Though unfortunately all camp site tickets for CMC Rocks 2026 have now been snapped up, fans should be able to secure resell tickets via AXS Official Resale.

For those who aren’t the camping type, you can always stay in Brisbane and catch one of the return festival buses running each day – hotels in the city give you a comfy bed and an easy ride to and from CMC Rocks. Check out exclusive festival rates here.

TRANSPORT/PARKING

Of all of the methods of transportation, CMC recommends pre-purchasing tickets on one of the CMC Buses for an easy trip.

All bus tickets must be pre-purchased via AXS and are valid only with a Festival Ticket. Ticket prices range from $26 to $72 return. Times for pick-ups from Ipswich Station, Ipswich Motels, Springfield Motels, or Brisbane, are available here.

According to the festival’s website, a limited Drop Off/Pick Up zone will be available, and the location will be confirmed closer to the Festival. Heavy traffic is expected in the precint.

If you have organised a private shuttle bus to drop you off or pick you up, your shuttle bus will need a Private Shuttle Pass to access the Festival. Private Shuttle Passes cost $100 per pass. (The application form is not available yet, but will be soon.)

A Rideshare & Taxi zone will be available, the location will be confirmed closer to the Festival.

There is limited availability of Rideshare and Taxi options in the area, and long wait times are likely.

If you’re thinking of driving into the festival, day parking costs $35 for single day and $100 for the whole weekend, but only via pre-purchase. Accessible parking is only available with a valid disability parking permit, which must be properly displayed, and still requires a parking ticket purchased from AXS.

CAMPING/ACCOMODATION

CMC Rocks has four official Campgrounds that are run by CMC Rocks QLD: Ace, Buck, Cowboy, and Denim.

All campgrounds are in and around Willowbank Motor Sports Precinct. Ace, Buck, and Denim Campgrounds are within the Willowbank Raceway area, and allow you to walk or hitch a ride on the tractor to the Festival.

Cowboy Campground is just down the road at Queensland Raceway — use the Festival Shuttle Bus for easy transport between the Campground and the Festival site.

Here are the tiers of onsite camping:

  • MINI SITE (No Power) - Max 2 people - Depth: 3.5m / Frontage: 3.5m

  • MEDIUM SITE (No Power) - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

  • MEDIUM SITE (With Power) - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

  • LARGE SITE (With Power) - Max 6 people - Depth: 6m / Frontage: 12m

  • THE INN SMALL SITE - Max 2 people - Depth: 3m / Frontage: 4.5m

  • THE INN MEDIUM SITE - Max 4 people - Depth: 2.7m / Frontage: 5.1m

  • THE RANCH MEDIUM SITE - Max 4 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 6m

  • THE RANCH LARGE SITE - Max 6 people - Depth: 6m / Frontage: 12m

  • THE GLAMPSTEAD - Max 2 people - Depth: 5m / Frontage: 5m

At the time of publication, camping sites are sold out.

If you’re not interested in camping (or haven’t been able to organise a site before it sold out), the CMC Rocks website handily lists accommodation options in Ipswich, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Greater QLD, and the Gold Coast. There are also package options available here.

ACCESSIBILITY

CMC Rocks offers several concessions for festivalgoers with disabilities, including accessible parking, viewing areas and camping facilities. Companion cards will also be accepted, with a limit of one carer per paying ticketholder.

Raised viewing platforms will be accessible in front of the Rebel and Stampede stages, with those who need them able to bring one companion along. Access to these platforms, it’s said on the festival’s website, “will be determined at the discretion of the festival personnel.”

You can head here for more information on accessibility.

REVIEWS

To give you a taste of the incomparable vibe of CMC Rocks, you have to read at least one live review of the event from Countrytown. In 2022, the event was headlined by Kane Brown and watched sets by Kaylee Bell, Casey Barnes, MacKenzie Porter, Lee Kernaghan, The Wolfe Brothers, and more, resulting in a “feeling on site [that] was like no other festival.”

“It was a place where you can sink a dozen Great Northerns and let your hair down, but where the feeling was of safety, community and a genuine spirit where everyone was there for the same thing, an unbridled love of music.”

This year’s CMC Rocks is sure to be just as unforgettable.

This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body

Creative Australia