Entertainment
18 October, 2025
Savannah in Round ‘best ever’
MORE than 32,000 people poured through the gates over four unforgettable days at Savannah in the Round 2025, marking the festival’s biggest turnout to date.
From Thursday’s Campers Concert and Great Northern Bullriding Series, which attracted around 5000 festival-goers through to Zac Brown Band’s world-class headline set closing Saturday night, Mareeba was alive with music, mateship and a whole lot of that trademark Savannah dust.
Festival director James Dein said the numbers were up across the board, with around 10,000 people packing the arena for the Grammy-winning Zac Brown Band.
“It has been fantastic to see this festival continue to grow,” he said.
“Our numbers are looking at around 10,000 in the arena for Zac, 5000 on Thursday, and somewhere in between across the other days. He’s a global act and he was just phenomenal.”
Across four stages with more than 60 artists and 80 performances, Savannah delivered a full spectrum of country, rock, blues, pop and folk with performances from James Johnston, Kasey Chambers, Fanny Lumsden, Daryl Braithwaite, The Black Sorrows, Amy Sheppard and Jackson Dean (USA).
“It’s what makes Savannah unique,” Mr Dein said.
“People love the freedom to curate their own program, there is also great food, traders, kids’ activities, art and workshops. It’s a true family event.”
“The camper’s concert was a highlight this year and we have had a great crowd with no trouble, just people having a really good time. “It’s been a fantastic four days from start to finish.”
The campground sold out well in advance, with overflow campers accommodated at the Mareeba International Club, just down the road from the main site.
Mr Dein said the sold-out camping reflected the growing demand for the full Savannah experience, which included camping, staying within walking distance to the main stage, and being part of the festival community from sunrise to encore.
With plans already underway for Savannah in the Round 2026, Dein said the next lineup announcement wasn’t far away.
“We are close to signing off our next international headliners, with some massive Australian and overseas acts to come,” he said.
