It’s getting to the part of the Tamworth Country Music Festival where you need to commit to early mornings and late nights as you attempt to squeeze as much as you can into every second of the final three days of the best time of the year.
There are a lot of options for a lot of the timeslots, so either clone yourselves or make good choices.
Breakfast is a real dilemma. The Bush Poets will set the tone beautifully whether you’re at the Longyard from 8am or opting for the 8.30am variety show at Wests with Ray Essery, Bill Kearns, Gregory North, Geoffrey Graham, Paddy O’Brien and John Peel steering the morning, hosted by Tom McIlveen and Susan Ashton. Either way, poetry and strong coffee are the right way to start today.
From 9am, classic country gets its moment at Southside Uniting Church with Dianne Lindsay OAM and Peter Simpson OAM celebrating the songs that built the genre, while the Toyota 4WD Track fires up for those who like a bit of horsepower with their music.
At 9.30am, lock this in because Brendon Walmsley at Toyota FanZone is a must. Fresh off his 2026 TSA Award win, Balladeer award wins, and two Golden Guitar nominations, this is one of those sets that reminds you why songwriting still matters. Around the same time, the Golden Fiddle Awards and Showcase takes over the Capitol Theatre, and it’s also the business end of The Golden Gig at Macca’s Stage. It’s finals day and winners will be crowned. If you’ve followed these young performers all week, you’ll want to be there when it counts.
Mid-morning is stacked. Duncan Toombs rolls through FanZone just after 10, then Megan Cooper’s Cake and Cordial Sessions at the Community Event Centre brings together Ella Hooper, Jess Crossman, Kane Vincent, Kelly Cork, Leyon Milner and Sue Ray. That room always delivers something special. And speaking of guarantees, The Pigs at FanZone late morning will be one of the highlights of your day. No question.
Felicity Dowd takes the Listening Room at 11am before lunch brings another round of hard decisions. Legends Long Lunch at Wests, Paul Ricketts at South Tamworth Bowling Club, or The Bushwackers in concert at the Longyard. You could easily spend the whole afternoon grazing and still miss something brilliant, so don’t forget to wander through the Festival Fringe as well. Shade, street performances, buskers and that welcome chance to sit down for five minutes with a cold drink.
At 1.30pm, the Hootenanny High Tea Concert Series at the Conservatorium is calling my name. High tea and country music ticks all my boxes.
From 2pm, things spread out again. Melinda Schneider launches her Tender exhibition and concert at the Regional Gallery, while Nundle Rocks kicks off a mini-festival east of town that runs deep into the night. Roger Knox holds court at the Hall of Fame, and for families, The Pigs deliver a kid-friendly show before unleashing their adults-only chaos later on.
The afternoon rolls into a strong run of FanZone sets, Jayne Denham unplugged, Amber Lawrence at the Town Hall, and a family-friendly Wolfe Brothers show at the Longyard. By 5pm, Adam Harvey at Wests is a solid anchor before the rodeo thunders into AELEC at 6pm.
At 7pm, it’s really hard to choose, so wander between these events with Kevin Bennett & The Flood at The Tamworth Hotel beer garden, while over at the Tamworth Community Event Centre the New Zealand Showcase is on and Toyota Park kicks off Sounds of Twilight.
At 7.30pm, The Wolfe Brothers turn the Longyard into party mode with Sons of Atticus, while Zac & George take the stage at Tamworth Town Hall at the same time.
By 8pm, it’s really getting serious…ly hard to choose who to see and where to go. Beccy Cole and The Sisters of Twang light up Blazes Showroom at Wests, while John Williamson delivers his Thank You, Tamworth concert at TRECC.
If you’re keen to join in rather than just watch, Country Karaoke fires up at the Tudor Hotel at 8.30pm, before Andrew Farriss takes over The Press Basement Bar at 9pm.
From 9.30pm, Y.O.G.A. lands at Wests’ Diggers and this is where the night properly loosens up. Expect dancing, sweat and a packed floor well into the late hours.
If you’re still standing at 11pm, Crawfish Stew at the Tudor will see you out.
Pace yourself. Hydrate. Make smart choices.
Bec Gracie, aka The Country Journo, has been a country music journalist for more than 20 years and we’re proud to have her leading our TCMF26 coverage for New England Times. Join the email list to get her festival tips in your inbox every day!
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