Blueberry Bliss at the Mundubbera Blueberry Festival 2026
Fancy an escape to the berry-licious country this September? Jodie Cameron explores what’s on offer at the Mundubbera Blueberry Festival…
Rise and shine, it’s blueberry time!
Dust off your boots and get ready to boot-scoot your way to the Blueberry Capital of Australia! From 25 to 27 September, North Burnett’s premier biennial celebration in Mundubbera is back – and if there’s one thing I learned from working the country festival circuit, you’ll never attend the same festival twice.
Spread over two jam-packed days, there’s something to suit all tastebuds with plenty of berry-licious blues music, bigger blueberries than the supermarket and a whole lot of love from a serious food-producing region who know how to throw open their gates to paint the
town blue. Just three hours north-west of the Sunshine Coast, the inland drive is part of the experience. Turn off at Gympie, wind through Kilkivan and Goomeri and watch the landscape widen, traffic thin and the horizon turn blue.
The Burnett Highway rolls through grazing country, citrus orchards and river flats, a scenic roadie without trying too hard – and by the time you arrive, your shoulders have already dropped because this is the festival worth making a detour for.
Perched along the Burnett River, enjoy the very best of the region from mouth-watering bites, artisan markets, and live music to kids’ activities, all-day stage entertainment and the much-loved Local Talent Quest.
Festival Co-ordinator, Lisa Wain describes the event as the perfect weekender for visitors to experience great music, local flavours and big-sky hospitality.
“We’re not just celebrating incredible music, we’re showcasing everything that makes our region vibrant,” Lisa says. “North Burnett has it all and once visitors experience that for themselves, we guarantee they’ll be back.”
New in 2026 the Marquee Muster kicks off the festival with a relaxed Friday afternoon gathering at the Showgrounds from 4.30pm. Meet at the bar and enjoy street food crafted by local Mundubbera chefs, while the Locavore4626 guests board a bus bound for a surprise destination.
Deliberately limited and slightly mysterious, Locavore4626 has become one of the most sought-after tickets – an immersive, locally-sourced dining experience that includes a behind-the-scenes look at one of the North Burnett’s major food industries.
It’s grounded in real agriculture, led by celebrity chef Matt Golinski and showcases the region’s deeply authentic ingredients and abundant food basin.
Saturday belongs to the Berry Big Day Out, a free celebration along the Burnett River. Markets hum and street performers wander, while kids line up for jumping castles, skirmish, blueberry muffin-eating competitions and the gloriously unpolished blueberry spitting contest. It’s playful, unpretentious and very hard not to have a laugh!
“Local musicians from Spotlight North Burnett, our regional talent development program that gives performers real stage experience and the confidence to pursue bigger opportunities will also perform,” Lisa shared. “It’s not just a competition; it’s a platform for launching and growing homegrown talent.”
But beneath the fun is something more substantial. Home to the largest undercover blueberry farm in the Southern Hemisphere, Mundubbera is citrus, grape, mango, pecan, peanut and beef country.
Blueberries might be the headline, but the wider North Burnett is one of Queensland’s most productive and diverse agricultural regions. Undercover berry tunnels stretch across river flats; citrus orchards roll towards the horizon and broadacre crops and grazing country underpin export markets reaching well beyond Australia.
“Agriculture doesn’t sit on the outskirts of town here – it walks the main street,” Lisa says. “We are extremely proud of our town, so have
a yarn to a local, you’ll likely discover they contributed in some way to what’s on your plate.
“The North Burnett is not a novelty farming district, it is a serious food-producing basin. This is not just a town feeding itself, it is a region feeding the world.”
What’s a festival without the music?
The Blueberry Jam Sesh carries the energy into Saturday night with a full-production stage and a line-up that punches well above what you’d expect from a rural postcode. Headlining this year are Tex Perkins and Matt Walker of The Cruel Sea, alongside 19-Twenty, Bourbon Street and Australian Idol alum Keely Ellen. It’s proper music without the mainstream overwhelm – close to the stage, not fighting crowds, and you can still find your friends when the blues roll in.
With affordable accommodation options to suit all budgets, if you can make it a long weekend, settle in, then explore outwards. Wander the boutiques, visit the art gallery exhibition running across the festival period – many of the exhibiting artists are farmers capturing rural life through photography, paint and sculpture. Book dinner at the newly refreshed Royal Hotel and camp under the starry skies or glamp it up at the Showgrounds.
On Sunday, slow down properly with a riverside walk, explore a stretch of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail or simply sit with a coffee, blueberry muffin and let the landscape do the talking.
We are deliciously spoiled for quality events on the Sunshine Coast, and I love our coastal bubble too, but this is the kind of festival that reminds you why leaving occasionally is good for the soul. Follow the blueberries inland and discover its big skies, real produce, proper music and no traffic lights. Don’t miss out on your slice of blueberry pie!
STAY AND PLAY!
GLAMPING – MUNDUBBERA SHOWGROUNDS
Just $660 for two-nights (up to 5 people).
Pack a bag & head out – includes bed + bedding + all the glamping stuff you’d expect!
For the full program and tickets, including camping packages, visit www.mundubberablueberryfestival.com.au
Follow @munduberrablueberryfestival for the latest news.
