After a sun-soaked debut that drew more than 20,000 people in early 2026, Southwave is back for summer 2027, turning South Bank's Rainforest Green into a free, open-air dancefloor once again.
Set amongst lush tropical greenery in the heart of the city, Southwave features an eclectic lineup of international DJs, leading Australian artists and Brisbane's local dance music community. Tucked inside South Bank's Rainforest Green is a leafy alternative to the club or festival, providing an unexpected place to catch artists who would typically be playing big rooms and festival stages at premium prices. With free entry and all ages welcome, the event makes dance music available to everyone for long summer afternoons that stretch into warm nights under the stars.
Southwave is curated by The Tivoli Group, the team behind The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre and Open Season, who also contribute music programming to MELT, Brisbane Festival and Valley Fiesta. For the 2027 series, the team has partnered with Finely Tuned, QUIVR and Family Tree to co-present select events across the summer.
"Brisbane is made for outdoor music experiences, particularly in summer. Southwave is about making the most of that – good music, great people and a setting that feels completely different from your usual dancefloor," said Dave Sleswick, Curator and Creative Director, The Tivoli Group.
Public space activation remains central to the initiative, offering city residents and visitors accessible cultural programming throughout January and February.
"Southwave showcases what's possible when public space is used in new and engaging ways, creating opportunities for people to connect with culture and community. Through our partnership with The Tivoli Group, we're proud to make world-class live music accessible to audiences," said South Bank Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Julia Scodellaro.
Major Headliners and Local Collectives
The 2027 program taps into Brisbane’s summer energy, with house, disco, UKG and techno-tinged selectors driving the dancefloor, alongside special live performances.
ARIA Award-winning duo Flight Facilities will deliver an extended DJ set, with room to move well beyond their hits such as "Crave You" and "Clair de Lune" that took them to Coachella and made them one of Australia's most-loved dance acts. Brisbane's own The Jungle Giants will bring their high vibes live show home to the river, featuring new tracks from their 2026 release Experiencing Feelings of Joy. Melbourne duo 2charm, the pair behind "boyfriend" and the Ninajirachi co-produced "paris (to get you out my head)", bring their live show to South Bank.
International highlights include Nottingham-born disco and house institution Crazy P, who will headline a Valentine's Day party co-presented with QUIVR, bringing three decades of dancefloor bangers including tracks from their seminal 2008 release Stop Space Return. London-based minimal house figure ROSSI. opens the series joined by Dutch selectors Luuk van Dijk and Jamback. Auckland-born, London-based brothers Chaos in the CBD bring the deep, jazz-tinged house of their In Dust We Trust label and 2025 debut album A Deeper Life. Defected Broadcasting House resident Aroop Roy, championed by Gilles Peterson, serves up his signature soulful, disco-rich grooves.
Brisbane-born, Sydney-based producer Young Franco brings the feel-good club cuts of it’s Franky baby back to his hometown following a tour of the United States. Jono Ma, the sonic architect behind Jagwar Ma's Howlin, joins Oscar Perry (Live) and a strong roster of local selectors.
Brisbane's music communities sit at the heart of the Southwave program. Partnerships with QUIVR and Family Tree bring local collectives, DJs and artists onto the same bill as international names, culminating in a dedicated Family Tree takeover on Sunday 7 February.
Southwave Festival Program by Date
- Friday 8th January: ROSSI., Luuk van Dijk, Jamback, Toushay (co-presented with Finely Tuned)
- Saturday 9th January: CHAOS IN THE CBD, RONA., Mikalah Watego, Jacob Tompkins, Scalymoth B2B Tinylittlebug, plus more TBA
- Saturday 16th January: AROOP ROY, Zjoso, Oscar Perry (Live), Joan Thing, Karishma (co-presented with QUIVR)
- Saturday 23rd January: THE JUNGLE GIANTS (Live), 2charm (Live), Sissy, Felix
- Friday 5th February: YOUNG FRANCO, Lance Savali, Nikitasilly
- Saturday 6th February: FLIGHT FACILITIES (Extended DJ Set), Jono Ma, Winona Router
- Sunday 7th February: FAMILY TREE TAKEOVER featuring Varnan, Orosa, Nat4sha, Zed Mero, DJ 808, JVME (DJ + Saxophone) (co-presented with Family Tree)
- Sunday 14th February: CRAZY P (DJ Set), Chantal, Lili Joy, Lorna Clarkson (co-presented with QUIVR)
Complete Artist Lineup
2charm (Live), Aroop Roy (UK), Chantal, Chaos in the CBD (NZ), Crazy P (DJ Set) (UK), DJ 808, Felix, Flight Facilities (Extended DJ Set), Jacob Tompkins, Jamback (NL), Joan Thing, Jono Ma, JVME, Karishma, Lance Savali (NZ), Lili Joy, Lorna Clarkson, Luuk Van Dijk (NL), Mikalah Watego, Nat4sha, Nikitasilly, Orosa, Oscar Perry (Live), RONA., ROSSI. (UK), Scalymoth, Sissy, The Jungle Giants (Live), Tinylittlebug, Toushay, Varnan, Winona Router, Young Franco, Zed Mero, Zjoso.
Ticketing Information
Entry into the main event site at South Bank's Rainforest Green is free and all ages are welcome.
While registering your attendance does not guarantee entry, it helps organisers monitor interest in each event and keep attendees updated with set times and weather updates. If an event reaches capacity, guests will be admitted on a one-out, one-in basis. Full event details are available on the official Southwave website.
