The newly rebranded Groundwater Country Music Festival set Broadbeach aglow this weekend, with record numbers of happy patrons enjoying three days of perfect weather and incredible music. The festival closed last night with a huge finale; ’30 Years of Pride: A Tribute to James Blundell’ packed Surf Parade to the rafters, entertaining patrons with appearances from almost every country music artist they could dream of, from Brewn to Jonny Taylor to Ben Ransom, Felicity Urquhart to Drew McAlister, and so many more, vying to pay tribute to one of Australian country music’s true pioneers.

And best of all, the show featured a special guest appearance from none other than Lee Kernaghan. This came along with the announcement that he will be one of the headline acts at Groundwater Country Music Festival 2019! With this year just barely wrapped up, it’s clear that the festival will continue to set the bench mark for country music festivals that deliver the unexpected.

“Joining this star-studded line-up at Groundwater has been one of the highlights of my year,” said Lee Kernaghan. “It was a pleasure to pay tribute to an absolute living legend on his 30th anniversary tour, and I can’t wait to come back next year to perform again.”

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Lee and James joined forces to close out Groundwater in spectacular fashion.

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Carrying on its reputation of unprecedented growth, the festival welcomed audience numbers bigger still than last year, with early predictors suggesting close to 65,000 visitors across the three days. Hotel accommodation across Broadbeach was at capacity, and the Nobby’s Beach Caravan Park was maxed out with those looking for a Broadbeach camping experience. Perfect weather every moment of the weekend welcomed the thousands of patrons to the beautiful Broadbeach precinct, boosting local business. The relaxed family friendly atmosphere meant no incidents for police.

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Groundwater is the perfect weekend out for all ages.

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The festival’s new name of Groundwater Country Music Festival (changed from Broadbeach Country Music Festival this year) was happily adopted by patrons, with several lines of the merchandise selling out prior to the festival closing.

Jan McCormick, Broadbeach Alliance CEO, said, “At six years old Groundwaterhas certainly demonstrated that it will become Australia’s largest CMF in a very short time. The crowds have been strong and everyone is so relaxed and happy, from performers and crews to the fans… A perfect recipe for the festival’s growing success moving into the future. 

And what a line-up of artists we had this year, it was hard to choose who to go and see; everyone was spoilt for choice. Roll on Groundwater 2019 for an even bigger and better festival experience.”

Saturday night saw US star Granger Smith pack out the Kurrawa Big Top with fans young and old – the atmosphere was unprecedented, with a world-class production and hundreds of fans singing along with every word. Joshua Hedley (USA) was also a stand-out, with his uniquely traditional sound warmly embraced by a huge crowd of country fans at each of his performances across the weekend.

Aside from the amazing performances, love was in the air… From a marriage proposal on Friday at the Broadbeach Mall Stage, to a couple returning to the festival for the anniversary of their meeting at, the atmosphere was all about camaraderie, connection and fun.