Melbourne has never lacked spectacle on New Year’s Eve, but for a city so defined by live music and nightlife, the absence of a long-term, large-scale inner-city celebration has always felt like a strange gap.
New Year’s at the Bowl arrives with the ambition to finally fill it.
Launching on December 31st, the new festival will take over the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and its surrounding gardens, transforming one of Australia’s most beloved open-air venues into a multi-stage, all-day celebration designed to carry crowds through the final moments of 2025 and into the first sunrise of the year ahead.
It’s a setting that feels uniquely Melbourne: sprawling lawns, skyline views, and a venue steeped in decades of landmark performances. Presented by Live Nation, New Year’s at the Bowl positions itself as both a cultural reset and a party with intent. The programming leans wide rather than narrow, bridging genres, scenes, and generations instead of chasing short-term trends.
At the centre of the night are electronic pioneers Underworld, who will close the Bowl stage from 12.10am–1.25am, delivering the main event, the festival’s midnight moment. Just before them, Carl Cox steps into the crucial 11pm–12.05am slot for a New Year’s Eve countdown set. Earlier on the Bowl stage, Confidence Man (9.35pm–10.35pm) and Sam Gellaitry (8.10pm–9.05pm) set the pace as the city shifts from dusk into night.
Elsewhere, the festival fans out across distinct moods. The Garden stage offers a more groove-led vibe, with Joy Crookes landing a golden-hour set from 7.25pm–8.10pm, followed by French producer Berlioz (9.30pm–10.45pm). Naarm favourites Emma-Jean Thackray and Harvey Sutherland ease crowds into the night earlier on. Over at the Sundial, dance-floor lifers take over, with Ross From Friends pres.
Bubble Love closing from 11.30pm–1.30am, flanked by sets from Roza Terenzi, Prosumer, and a Tornado Wallace b2b Alex Kassian pairing.
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Local artists are threaded throughout the lineup, reinforcing Melbourne’s role as a creative engine rather than a stopover. Rather than dispersing energy across the city, New Year’s at the Bowl concentrates it into one immersive environment — built for shared countdowns, euphoric peaks, and the slow drift into New Year’s Day.
In a city where New Year’s Eve often means navigating crowds rather than embracing them, New Year’s at the Bowl aims to reframe the experience. It’s not just another party — it’s Melbourne staking a claim on how it welcomes the year ahead.
More ticket information is available here.
