As most of us brace ourselves for winter’s depressing yet imminent arrival, many others are packing up their gear in preparation for the mad vibes at Thredbo.
If you know absolute bupkis about what goes down at Thredbo, let us fill you in. It’s not just your run-of-the-mill ski resort (although it’s 100% that too), but more of a cultural experience with a slew of performers, unique events, hectic activities and even the occasional magician, we shit you not.
As promised, this winter will once again be jammed with performers like some sort of freeze-ya-tits-off Coachella. Have a peruse of the full list of music acts below:
Hot Dub Time Machine + Young Franco (9 Jun)
Jamie Allan (10 Jun & 14 Jul)
DJ Dick Dollar (25 – 27 Jun)
SIWA (28 Jun)
Slippery Trout DJs (28 Jun, 27 Jul, 26 Aug, 24 Sep)
19-Twenty (14 Jul)
Magnifik (21 Jul)
Northeast Party House (21 Jul)
Torren Foot (22 Jul)
Indian Summer (24 Jul)
Dom Dolla (26 Jul)
Reuben (27 Jul)
Lex Deluxe (27 Jul)
The Magda Szubanskis (1 Sep)
Tom Tilley/Hugo Gruzman (30 Jun, 4 Aug, 8 Sep)
Joyride (8 Sep)
Touch Sensitive (4 Aug)
CC:Disco (30 Jun)
Michelle Owen (9 Jun, 25 Aug)
Kinder (25 Aug)
Tigerlily (25 Aug)
Northeast Party House will undoubtedly pull in music die-hards by the droves. We have a strong inkling that people who aren’t necessarily snow fans will turn out in their barely-there festival tees and tattered jeans to froth over bangers like Calypso and Heartbreaker.
Hot Dub Time Machine has the privilege/shit-scary responsibility of opening Thredbo’s first official week of Heineken Saturdays, where they’ll be assisted by genuine gun producer/DJ Young Franco. Seriously, Young Franco’s been making waves on the music scene since he was in his teens, it might even be safe to say that out of all the famous Franco’s, he’s doing the most (disclaimer: he’s not related to James or Dave but he’s still objectively better than both as it stands).
As part of Rainbow Mountain – an LGBT festival organised with Heaps Gay – parody band The Magda Szubanskis will be bringing the extra-ness to a week filled with drag bingo, rave yoga and lip sync karaoke. Honestly, how lip sync karaoke isn’t more popular is a mystery – it eliminates the very real risk of terrible singers slaughtering terrible songs in one huge terrible mess. Bring it on.
Former triple j fave Tom Tilley and Flight Facilities‘ Hugo Gruzman are doubling down on their hosting duties for First Base’s Vintage Après Soirée, with this year’s high-profile bands including Joyride, Touch Sensitive and CC:Disco. Touch Sensitive is the brainchild of Michael Di Francesco, producer and former member of the severely underrated band Van She, so it’s no doubt his newest venture is copping some serious attention.
CC:Disco has been kicking around since she began presenting shows on PBS FM at the ripe old age of 15 (sarcasm galore, I could barely tie my shoes at the age of 15, let alone present on an actual radio show), and has since gone on to mesmerise audiences with her unique disco/club sound.
Excuse us while we rush to our friend’s house to swipe all of their ski gear pronto. This winter doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom after all.
On the 25th of August, Australian DJ Tigerlily will be headlining the second round of Heineken Saturdays, proving yet again that she’s a force to be reckoned with. Not only has Tigerlily scored a sick residency in Las Vegas, the turntable tycoon has been tearing up the club circuits throughout Europe and North America, so we should count ourselves lucky that she’s returning Down Under to put on one ridonk show.
Throughout the entire winter festivities, there will be a house DJ playing on most of the nights, so having a boogie on a Tuesday is completely acceptable. Hooray for midweek bevs. As always, skiing and snowboarding the iconic slopes remain a popular option and most people’s reason for hitting up Thredbo but really, with so many quality acts on, its appeal reaches far beyond your standard ski addicts.
Have a gander at Thredbo’s best bits to really amp you up:
Thredbo’s winter shenanigans run from the 9th of June to the 1st of October. If you don’t get amongst it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Seriously, you’ll be on your death bed, telling your grandchildren “I only have one regret in life – not going to Thredbo” and then everyone will start crying.
Thredbo’s huge season starts on the June Long Weekend. Check out this heckers offer to celebrate the start of the season.
