Peninsula LIVE hits a high note for local economy and live music scene

Published on 26 June 2026

Some weekends just hit different. You head out for a quick gig and end up losing the whole weekend to discovering new sounds, hidden spaces, and corners of the Peninsula you’ve never thought to look in. That was the magic of the Dromana Weekender.

Even with mid-winter throwing its absolute worst at us—cold, wet, and grey—the Dromana Industrial Estate completely transformed. For four days, the warehouses became an unexpected, free, all-ages playground packed with people, music, and pure energy. The massive turnout proved that old truth: if you build it, they will come. Music lovers travelled from right across Victoria to be part of it, giving our winter economy a brilliant boost as visitors filled local accommodation, ate out, and explored the region.

More than 30 bands took over 10 different spaces, with local breweries, distilleries, wineries, and makers opening up their doors. From laidback afternoon sessions to packed-out warehouses where crowds were moving together late into the night, it proved that great live music doesn't need a traditional stage. It just needs people willing to gather and listen.

The lineup itself felt like a real passing of the torch, capturing a beautiful mix of generations. We had local youth like Finn Cross playing his first-ever public show, sharing the same program with seasoned, world-class artists like Maple Glider closing out the festival with an incredible performance.

But the magic didn't just happen on stage; the festival carved out some fantastic pathways behind the scenes, too. Local promoters used the event to book their own curated sets and build their brands, while audio engineers right from the Estate connected directly with local businesses and artists, keeping the entire production side of things close to home.

Following on from Pretty Snazz in the Nazz in Balnarring earlier this year, the Dromana Weekender is the second micro-festival to roll out under the Peninsula LIVE banner. It’s a Mornington Peninsula Shire initiative delivered alongside the Live Music Office, OneMusic Australia, and APRA AMCOS, with support from Music Australia.

At its heart, Peninsula LIVE is just about bringing artists, independent businesses, venues, and audiences together. The Dromana Weekender showed exactly how powerful that connection is when the whole community gets behind it. The Peninsula's live music scene is thriving. This weekend was living proof of that—and it's a pretty good excuse to make some serious noise about it.

For more information visit artsandculture.mornpen.vic.gov.au/dromanaweekender.

Image credit: Jess Gunn Photography