Lismore lights up with the triumphant return of Groovin the Moo

The Community showed up in hordes! Baker Boy at GTM 2026 - photo credit Jordan Munns

The return of Groovin the Moo to Lismore Oakes Oval in 2026 has rooted itself deeply as one of those festivals that will eternally hold a special place in the hearts of everyone who was lucky enough to be part of it.

One of the most beautiful displays of community spirit showing up for music I’ve come across in a long while - you could feel the love in every single person you spoke to - crew, artists and punters alike.

Something about the adversity Lismore has gone through (floods and all) and its unyielding, relentless sense of heart despite it all seemed to be absorbed into every aspect of the festival. You could feel it everywhere, from the local food vendors to the community charity stalls (Headspace, Our Kids etc) and even the stacked locally-driven lineup - with almost every artist having roots in the Northern Rivers (from Matt Corby’s Byron Hinterland studio to beloved locals The Colliflowers, and homegrown hero slot winner Mr Rhodes). 

Now I’ve just got to mention a quick personal sidenote - I’ve grown up playing shows alongside The Collies folks, and Mr Rhodes and I were part of the very same development program when I first started my own Serendipiti music project a good 5 years ago! So to see these guys playing such a big, beloved festival stage like this is massive and I’m just so completely stoked for them. So absolutely proud of our magic Northern Rivers music community and the way it’s grown!!

Now back to the show! The daytime lineup included everything from Aussie legends The Chats and The Terry’s to the teen angst of Maple’s Pet Dinosaur and 17 year old Angel White. After the beautiful Welcome to Country, Baker boy leapt onstage with an insanely powerful energy, bringing the crowd to pumping, arms in the air and all. 

There was even an awesome interlude in which Kath Ebbs led the crowd in a bit of ‘Cowboy Country line dancing.’ Nothing quite like an entire festival crowd doing a bit of the Aussie classic ‘Nutbush,’ to keep spirits lifting. We even caught a little backstage chat with Kath (stay tuned for the socials to come!), all about how at home they felt coming back to the Northern Rivers.

Kath Ebbs with 'Cowboy Country Line Dancing' - photo credit Jordan Munns

The whole festival also felt so accessibility friendly - I couldn’t help it felt similar in energy to another favourite of mine ‘Ability Fest.’ There was this sense of safety, inclusion and joy from everyone you came across. I witnessed everyone from children on shoulders with earmuffs, to wheelchair users and folks in their mid 20’s returning to their hometown and partying with their parents. I remember looking around at one point and seeing teens high fiving 5 year olds and just feeling this awesome sense of yeah, this is what it’s all about. And I LOVE that it’s all ages - felt like the kind of essential event kids first fall in love with live music. 

Event of the year for sure - it managed to encapsulate both the festival edition of a beloved School-fete during the day to the classic thrilling Northern Rivers festivals we’ve missed and loved by night. 

Now personally, Groovin was the festival where I first saw my musical hero ‘AURORA’ (a life changing experience I cannot lie), so to have the festival returning at such a special local place was thrilling in itself.

As a local myself, I just felt the most immense pride for our beautiful Northern Rivers and how we showed up as a community in hordes. We interviewed folks around the festival and whether it was someone’s first time in Lismore or the place they’d grown up - there was a unanimous agreement that this festival just felt like coming home.

Another factor I loved about the setup of the entire festival was the one stage scenario, I found it created such a sense of unity with the crowd. The lineup was curated to have something for everyone, and spaced out in a way that it was easy to take a breather and go on the rides or indulge in food in between moshing (I had a divine Korean Vego Bibimbap for dinner sitting on a hill overlooking Tones and I).

One of my favourite standout moments had to be Dope Lemon at sunset - watching the rides tumble and glow in the silhouette of the fading yellow as we sat up on the hill overlooking the crowd twirling their wrists in the air. Deepest contentment. That’s when the Lismore pride peaked for sure.

Matt Corby’s set had a similar soulful magic. There’s something about finding your childhood best friend in the crowd and singing ‘Brother’ from the depth of your chest in the very place you grew up together that hits on a spiritual level. I’ve really got to say, coming back to my hometown for this festival and running into literally everyone from my youth felt pretty damn special. There’s not a lot of other events that bring people together in the way that you’ll run into your primary school best friend’s mum for the first time in YEARS in a Matt Corby moshpit and get to give each other the biggest hug to ‘Miracle Love.’ I know for a fact I’m not the only local who was feeling the same. 

Audience all arms in the air at GTM 2026 - photo credit Jordan Munns

Another absolute HIGHLIGHT was the Ninajirachi set. Somehow she’s managed to create something that is the absolute perfect collision of whimsical and electronic with her very own strand of ‘girl EDM.’ She had the whole oval drawn to the front with a DJ set that was somehow simultaneously wholesome, ethereal and hard asf all at the same time. From her nostalgic visuals to the synchronised hands up and jumping of the crowd - it’s safe to say we collectively ascended. I also just want to point out again the warmth of the energy from the artists across the whole event - Nina thanking the venue and everyone who brought the show together at the end of her set really sprinkled the icing on the cake.

The night finished up with an explosive set from Denzel Curry which brought the perfect cathartic energy to dance out the day. Even as the pit was opening up for the harder songs there was this continued sense of everyone looking out for each other.

It’s worth a mention that Hotel Lismore and a very Lismore-coded deep sci-trance alleyway rave were the places to go for kick-ons afterwards. Even there, beyond the actual Groovin event, the warmth from the festival carried through - with hometown reunions and free sausage sizzles carrying us on into the night.

All in all, I left the event feeling deeply inspired and incredibly proud to be a Northern Rivers Local. The return of an all-time favourite festival, beautiful local community showing up and love from the punters, lineup and crew alike - Groovin the Moo Lismore 2026 without a doubt earns a place as one of those all-time special events that will stay with you for always. Stoked to have been there to experience it <3