Sydney’s Northern Beaches are set to welcome a massive new music festival in 2027, with Australian rock favourites Wolfmother, Ball Park Music and Yothu Yindi among the Aussie names taking the stage.
The inaugural Aloha Festival will take over Dee Why Beach on Saturday, March 6th, bringing together live music, surf films and coastal culture for an all-ages celebration. Dune Rats, The Terrys, The Beautiful Girls, Mid Drift and The Beefs round out the lineup, with organisers promising one of the biggest music events the region has seen in decades.
But there’s more to the event than it’s all-Australian music lineup.
In a festival first, the Australian Surf Film Festival will curate a selection of surf films to screen on the main stage between live performances, creating a continuous program of music and cinema throughout the day.
Among the highlights are Jack Johnson’s The September Sessions, featuring Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian and Rob Machado, digitally remastered in 4K for its 25th anniversary, and Stacy Peralta’s The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez.
The program will also feature George Greenough’s 1971 classic Echoes, Paul Witzig’s All Down the Line, and an exclusive Hawaiian presentation from John Florence.
For festival founder and Long Reef local Luke Campbell, Aloha is as much about bringing the Northern Beaches together as it is about entertainment.
“Aloha Festival is a celebration of everything that makes the Northern Beaches, and the Australian coastline, so special,” Campbell said. “Our community has been rocked in recent times, and we want to create an event where everyone from 5-year-olds to 85-year-olds can come together, connect and share the spirit of Aloha.”
The festival will also place a strong emphasis on ocean safety, environmental sustainability, mental wellbeing and cultural connection.
Working alongside organisations including SharkSmart, Surf Live Saving NSW and Surfing NSW, the event will deliver shark education and ocean safety initiatives, particularly significant following a series of serious shark incidents affecting the Northern Beaches community.
Aloha will also celebrate the historical connection between Hawaiian and Australian surfing through a tribute to legendary Hawaiian waterman Duke Kahanamoku, whose demonstrations at nearby Freshwater Beach in 1914 helped shape Australian surf culture.
Beyond the stages, festival goers can expect markets, food and wine experiences, athlete signings, a health and wellness zone featuring mental health partners Gotcha4Life and Blue Minds, conservation initiatives from Surfers for Climate, Take 3 for the Sea and Ocean Lovers Festival, plus family-friendly attractions.
“Aloha is about more than the entertainment,” Campbell said. “It’s about creating something meaningful for our community — a place where people can come together, celebrate our culture, reconnect with the ocean and support initiatives that will make a positive difference long after the music stops.”
Presented by Perfect Wave Travel, Aloha Festival will take place at Dee Why Beach on Saturday, March 6th, 2027.
Tickets for on sale Monday, October 26th, at 10am AEDT. Pre-sale access begins Friday, October 23rd, via the official festival website.
