Entertainment
13 September, 2026
Missy Higgins ‘loves’ playing in Far North
AUSTRALIAN singer-songwriter Missy Higgins says her love of Far North Queensland and Savannah in the Round’s country-leaning line-up drew her to Mareeba for this year’s festival.
The multi-ARIA Award-winning artist joins a four-day line-up featuring Icehouse, Don McLean, Tyler Braden, Lee Kernaghan, Ian Moss & Troy Cassar-Daley, The Wolfe Brothers, San Cisco, Busby Marou and Kingswood. Furnace and the Fundamentals, along with rising country talent Bella Mackenzie, have been added to the program.
“I love playing in Far North Queensland,” Ms Higgins told Cairns Local News.
“We’ve played up there quite a lot over my career, and I always, always love going up there.
“Going to Cairns is one of my favourite places in Australia, and I loved the lineup for this gig because it was a bit different for me, skewed a little more towards country, perhaps.”
More than two decades after the release of her debut album, ‘The Sound of White’, Ms Higgins said that putting together festival set lists remained a balancing act between familiar songs and newer material.
“I really want to include the older songs that a lot of people know and love, but I also want to include songs that I don’t play very often, just to change it up for me and for the fans who come to a lot of shows,” she said.
Ms Higgins said her newer songs were “very fresh” and “emotionally relevant” to her, making them especially gratifying to perform.
For Savannah in the Round, Ms Higgins said she would assess the festival atmosphere before finalising her set list.
“I think people come to festivals because they want to let loose, maybe have a bit of a dance, feel good and sing along with other people. So yeah, I’ll try to get the right balance to make the best vibe,” she said.
Ms Higgins said she was also looking forward to seeing Mental as Anything, Busby Marou, San Cisco and Icehouse perform.
“I love watching Icehouse. They’re amazing. They’ve got so many hits. I never get tired of watching those guys,” she said.
Savannah in the Round returns to the Mareeba Rodeo Arena from 8-11 October 2026, with more than 60 artists performing over four days.
Tickets and camping packages are now on sale via the festival’s website: www.cnslocal.s.gy/b5aB0H
