Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church & Ashley McBryde Headline CMC Rocks QLD’s 20 Year Celebration!

CMC ROCKS QLD RETURNS TO WILLOWBANK FROM
WEDNESDAY 17* TO SUNDAY 21 MARCH 2027

TICKETS ON SALE AT 10AM AEST, FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER

After months of anticipation, the wait is finally over: CMC Rocks QLD has unveiled one of the most epic artist lineups ever, for its 20 Year bash in 2027! US icons Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church and Ashley McBryde will headline the festival from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 March 2027. They helm an all-star roster featuring some of Country music’s hottest international talent and homegrown favourites including Kameron Marlowe, Parker McCollum, Turnpike Troubadours, Blake Whiten, Lanie Gardner, Kaylee Bell, Lane Pittman and more.

Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow at 10am AEST – Head to axs.com/au for more information.

Returning to Australia for the first time in almost twenty years, legendary duo and Country Music Hall of Famers, Brooks & Dunn, will make their long-awaited CMC Rocks QLD debut. Thirty-plus years into an unparalleled career, the best-selling duo of all time will bring their generation-defining catalogue – including twenty #1 hits – to the stage for an unforgettable celebration of country music, nostalgia and timeless music.

Underscoring their incredible legacy, Brooks & Dunn were last week announced as the 2026 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, set to receive the honour at the 60th Annual CMA Awards ceremony in Nashville this November. Their songbook of iconic tracks like ‘Neon Moon’, ‘My Maria’, ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’, ‘Red Dirt Road’ and more translates to a high-energy live celebration of the sound, spirit and swagger of Country music.

Trailblazing US star Eric Church will make his way down under for the very first time to hit the CMC Rocks QLD stage in March, alongside Ashley McBryde on her third Australian visit, for what are sure to be some of the most anticipated sets in festival history.

A seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner and 11-time GRAMMY nominee, Eric Church is one of country music’s most influential entertainers. A superstar in every sense of the word, Church will bring some of Country’s biggest anthems to Willowbank, in what will be the kind of full-throttle live experience fans have come to expect each March! With his new song ‘On The Road’ just released, Church will be primed to unleash his epic catalogue of hits – from ‘Drink In My Hand’, ‘Springsteen’, ‘Talladega’ and many more – on Australian music lovers for the first time ever.

GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Award winner Ashley McBryde returns to CMC Rocks QLD for the third time, following blistering performances in 2019 and 2023. A Grand Ole Opry member and CMA International Artist Achievement Award winner, McBryde heads back to Australia with her latest album, Wild, adding to an acclaimed catalogue that includes 2020’s Never Will — one of the only albums ever to earn Country Album of the Year nominations from the ACM, CMA and GRAMMYs in the same awards season.

Festival Director and Chairman of Chugg Entertainment, Michael Chugg, said “Brooks & Dunn were one of the first US acts that our festival founder, the late Rob Potts, ever toured in Australia almost twenty years ago, so it feels fitting to have them headline CMC Rocks’ 20 Year bash in 2027. We have lots in store for next year, it will be a mega celebration – our biggest and most ambitious festival yet – and we can’t wait to kick it all off in March!”

Festival Director, Jeremy Dylan, said “We knew we had to go above and beyond for the 20th Year and I think we have delivered. Brooks & Dunn coming to Australia kicked the door open for Nashville superstars to take our country and our fans seriously, to have them back for their CMC Rocks debut at another peak of their unparalleled career is a dream come true. Eric Church has been on our bucket list for almost twenty years, and we are certain the Chief will raise the proverbial roof with his legendary live show. Ashley McBryde is one of the great songwriters in modern Country music and she has never been more electrifying live. The rest of this lineup is packed with the headliners of tomorrow, from the other side of the world and the most exciting homegrown talent and March cannot come fast enough.”

There’s plenty more to discover beyond the main stage, with festival favourites bringing the country spirit to life all weekend long. The ever-popular Songwriters Show returns for another intimate Nashville-style ‘in the round’ session, where four artists swap songs, stories and plenty of behind-the-song moments in a stripped-back acoustic setting.

Nifty’s Sports Bar is the perfect place to kick back between sets, with bingo, trivia, rodeo fashion runways, social games, our late-night ’90s disco, cold drinks and live sport on the big screens.

Big Time Charlie’s is CMC Rocks’ ‘honky tonk of your dreams’, serving up ice-cold cocktails and unmissable tunes all weekend. For late-night campers, the Amazon Music After Party picks up the beat, with the hottest country DJs spinning your favourite tracks under the Tailgate Big Top.

Back Forty will once again turn the spotlight on emerging local talent, with artists hitting the stage across the Cowboy Campground and Great Northern House. And over at Lil’ Buckaroos at the Tailgate Stage, the next generation of country music lovers will be entertained.

And it wouldn’t be CMC Rocks QLD without new boots, jeans or a hat at Ariat and Outback Traders, an ice-cold beer at Great Northern House, lunch or dinner at The Boatshed Restaurant, margaritas in the Casamigos Tequila Garden, premium moments at YETI Station VIP, one-of-a-kind finds at the market stalls, new music from the CMC Music Shop and meeting your favourites at Artist Signings! All rounding out a weekend of world-class music, campsite traditions and unforgettable experiences at Australia’s most iconic Country music festival.

Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said the Crisafulli Government was backing Queensland's future by securing major events that attract visitors, support businesses and create jobs.

"Queensland is open for business, open for visitors and open for the biggest events on the calendar," Minister Powell said. "CMC Rocks has become a Queensland success story, drawing thousands of visitors to our regions, supporting local businesses and giving people another reason to choose Queensland.

"Through Destination 2045, we're backing the events that grow our visitor economy and cement Queensland as Australia's events capital".

Local MP Jon Krause said the region was proud to remain the home of one of the country's biggest music festivals.

"Every year CMC Rocks puts the spotlight on our region, bringing visitors, filling local businesses and delivering real economic benefits right across our community," Mr Krause said. "This commitment gives local businesses confidence for the future and shows the Crisafulli Government is serious about backing regional Queensland and the events that support local jobs."

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the city will be ready to tip its hat to thousands of country music fans and global artists as CMC Rocks QLD returns to Willowbank next year.

“CMC Rocks has become one of Ipswich’s signature events, and we are thrilled to welcome some of the biggest names in country music and thousands of visitors back to our city for another unforgettable festival,” Mayor Harding said.

“More than 25,000 people travelled to Ipswich for CMC Rocks in 2026, generating an estimated $13-$15 million for local businesses and tourism operators and putting Ipswich on the map as a premier destination for world-class entertainment.

“Ipswich has proudly been the home of CMC Rocks for a decade, and our community is ready to dust off our boots for another incredible weekend of music, entertainment and country hospitality again in 2027.”

From the inaugural 2008 event in Thredbo, through the Hunter Valley, Townsville and now Willowbank, CMC Rocks QLD has grown into the most iconic country music festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Two decades in, it's become a family tradition as much as a festival. Some fans have made the trip every single year, others will be packing the swag for the first time and many who started out as young punters now bring their kids along for the ride too.

That’s the magic of CMC Rocks QLD - it’s more than a weekend of music; it’s a place where memories are made, friendships are forged and the love of country music is passed from one generation to the next. As the festival celebrates 20 years of unforgettable moments, big voices, dusty boots and even bigger singalongs, the country community will be welcomed back to Willowbank in March for another chapter in the story.

Listen to artists from the 20th Year lineup on Amazon Music’s Official CMC 2027 Playlist here.

The Queensland Government is proud to support CMC Rocks QLD through Tourism and Events Queensland.

*Festival is open exclusively to campers on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th March.

TICKETS FOR CMC ROCKS QLD 2027 ON SALE
10AM AEST, FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER FROM AXS.COM/AU

RELIVE THE FUN! WATCH THE CMC ROCKS QLD 2026 WRAP VIDEO HERE

IMAGES FROM CMC ROCKS QLD 2026 AVAILABLE HERE

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Imogen ClarkSeptember 23, 2026