Bendigo Blues & Roots

Festival Hub Band Stage - Bendigo on the Hop 2025
2025-08-30 11:00 - 18:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | McCrae Street Carpark, 139 McCrae Street, Bendigo, VIC, 3550, Australia
Another awesome line-up of musicians will entertain the crowd at Bendigo on the Hop’s Festival Hub, this year being held at McCrae Street Carpark – next to Hop Supply Co. 139 McCrae Street Bendigo.The line-up and program is as follow:11am – Louise MacGregor12:20pm – Rhyley McGrath1:30pm – Georgia Rodgers duo2:40pm – Redjar3:50pm – Highway 795pm – Luke Harrington & The Hoodoo HeathensIn between sets DJs engaged by Jop Supply Co. will spin vinyl to keep the vibes flowing.Sound production provided by Lawrence Sound & LightingLive music curated by Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival Inc.

Blues Tram, feat: Jarrod Shaw + Georgia Rodgers
2025-09-13 14:00 - 16:20 | Departs from Central Deborah Goldmine, 76 Violet Street, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia
Enjoy the sights of Bendigo’s architecturally stunning CBD from on board the sensationally restored vintage Class tram #610, while being serenaded by two talented acts…
Saturday September 13thBlues Tram, feat: Jarrod Shaw + Georgia RodgersDeparting Central Deborah Goldmine (76 Violet Street) at 2pm, returning by 4:30pm.Tix: $49.50 from Bendigo Visitor Centre 1800 813 513 or online here: https://www.bendigotourism.com/…/ben…/bendigo-blues-tramFollow The Blues Tram here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBluesTram
Strictly no BYO. Drinks and snacks available for purchase.
The Blues Tram is booked, promoted and staged by Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival Inc, a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.
Please Note:This is a music appreciation event – a mobile concert. For the enjoyment of all patrons, any rowdy or loud behavior will not be tolerated. Event management reserves the right to refuse admission or evict patrons if requests to manage behavior are not complied with; in this unlikely event, tickets of offenders will be forfeited and no refund will be available.

The Blues Tram, feat: Enamel Mammal + Tony J King
2025-10-11 14:00 - 16:30 | Departs from Central Deborah Goldmine, 76 Violet Street, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia
Enjoy the sights of Bendigo’s architecturally stunning CBD from on board the sensationally restored vintage Class tram #610, while being serenaded by two talented acts…
Saturday October 11thBlues Tram, feat: Enamel Mammal + Tony J KingDeparting Central Deborah Goldmine (76 Violet Street) at 2pm, returning by 4:30pm.Tix: $49.50 from Bendigo Visitor Centre 1800 813 513 or online here: https://www.bendigotourism.com/…/ben…/bendigo-blues-tramFollow The Blues Tram here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBluesTram
Strictly no BYO. Drinks and snacks available for purchase.
The Blues Tram is booked, promoted and staged by Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival Inc, a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.
Please Note:This is a music appreciation event – a mobile concert. For the enjoyment of all patrons, any rowdy or loud behavior will not be tolerated. Event management reserves the right to refuse admission or evict patrons if requests to manage behavior are not complied with; in this unlikely event, tickets of offenders will be forfeited and no refund will be available.

Kris Mizzi live at The Old Church on the Hill w/Mandy Connell
2025-10-18 07:30 - 21:30 | The Old Church on the Hill, Cnr Harkness & Russell St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo, VIC, 3550, Australia
Kris Mizzi, with special guest Mandy Connell:
“A deceptively gentle storyteller, his songs, like a good book, resonate deeper and deeper with every listen. Simply beautiful.”–Paul Samwell-Smith (Producer: Cat Stevens, Yardbirds, Carly Simon)
With a voice that is both strong and tender, Melbourne singer-songwriter Kris Mizzi has earned his place among Australia’s most captivating folk artists. A masterful storyteller, Mizzi crafts songs that linger long after the final note, weaving beauty, truth, and vulnerability into every line. His live performances are a kaleidoscope of emotions—joyful, uplifting, spiritual, comedic, and deeply moving.Kris will bring his songs to ‘The Old Church on the Hill’ in Bendigo on October 18 for a night not to be missed.Doors open 7pm for an 7:30pm start.
About the venue:The Old Church on the Hill is on Djaara Country – the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people and is located on the corner of Harkness and Russell Streets, Quarry Hill, Bendigo.The Singer/Songwriter Showcase events, staged at the Old Church by the Bendigo Blues & Roots crew on a semi-regular basis, are an opportunity to enjoy a House Concert vibe in a public venue. The door charge is kept as low as possible to ensure accessibility to all. Under 12s free and, although drinks are available for sale, the focus is on THE MUSIC.Proceeds from drink sales go to supporting the Old Church crew and their many worthy initiatives.We look forward to your company for an intimate concert experience like you’ve likely never experienced before.

Broken Creek, w/Special Guest: Archer, live at The Old Church on the Hill
2025-11-02 16:00 - 18:30
Folk from the Archive: Songs of Land, Loss and Lore with Broken Creek & Archer
Join us for an afternoon night of reimagined Australiana where old songs meet new interpretations with Archer and Broken Creek.
Archer opens the show with his surreal, moving poetry and songs. With a raw, timeless voice and the soul of a poet, Archer is a wandering storyteller who sings by rivers, in nursing homes, and for children.
Broken Creek reimagine rural Australian folk traditions, blending old-time banjo, flat-picked guitar, and fiddle. With close-knit, conversational playing, Erin and Lachlan breathe new life into bush songs. In this special performance, Broken Creek will launch their new EP, Folk From the Archive: Sally Sloane, joined by double bassist Nick Henderson. Sally Sloane was a bush singer, button accordionist, and fiddler who preserved songs and tunes passed down by her convict Irish grandmother. Archival recordings of Sally herself are woven into the performance, connecting past and present.
This top shelf double-act will bring their songs to ‘The Old Church on the Hill’ in Bendigo on Sunday 2 November for a musical afternoon not to be missed.Doors open 3:30pm for a 4pm start.
About the venue:
The Old Church on the Hill is on Djaara Country – the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people and is located on the corner of Harkness and Russell Streets, Quarry Hill, Bendigo.The Singer/Songwriter Showcase events, staged at the Old Church by the Bendigo Blues & Roots crew on a semi-regular basis, are an opportunity to enjoy a House Concert vibe in a public venue. The door charge is kept as low as possible to ensure accessibility to all. Under 12s free and, although drinks are available for sale, the focus is on THE MUSIC.Proceeds from drink sales go to supporting the Old Church crew and their many worthy initiatives.We look forward to your company for an intimate concert experience like you’ve likely never experienced before.

Bendigo Blues & Roots Weekend 2025
2025-11-07 17:00 - 2025-11-09 21:00 | Bendigo, Bendigo, VIC, 3550, Australia
An exciting Bluesy Rootsy weekend is coming your way on Friday 7 November through Sunday 9 November, thanks to Handle Bar, The Black Swan Hotel and The Old Church on the Hill, and a couple more venues to be announced; More then 30 great local and semi-local artists (plus a couple of interstaters and at least one international) sharing their awesome music for your enjoyment.
We’ve been hearing about how much everyone’s missed having that one massive weekend in November to catch up with all our favorite friends over some fine tunes in Bendigo’s most welcoming venues. Well here’s a chance to enjoy a slightly less bombastic version of the full festival experience, while still catching up with friends with all the flavors provided by the BB&RMF musical palate.

The full breakdown of who is playing where will be announced here soon – there will only be a couple of ticketed shows, but those experiences are worth the ticket price and more if you know what you’re after. The rest will be free entry…Keep checking in with us here for line-up announcements, gig details and ticketing links – and keep supporting and enjoying grass-roots live music events!

Scott Cook & The Little Rippers, live at The Old Church on the Hill for BB&R Weekend
2025-11-09 16:00 - 18:00 | The Old Church on the Hill, Cnr Harkness & Russell St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo, 3550, AU
Scott Cook (legendary Canadian Folk Troubadour) returns to The Old Church on the Hill with an all-star band in tow
Scott Cook and the Little Rippers – www.scottcook.net
Scott Cook sings sturdy, straight-talking songs that see the good in you. Born in West Virginia and raised on the Canadian prairies, in 2007 he quit a job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan to embark on the life of a full-time troubadour. Since then he’s toured incessantly across Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, averaging over a hundred shows and a dozen summer festivals a year, and distilling his experiences into empathetic, keenly observant verse. Scott has already completed ten tours of Australia, including performances at Woodford, Port Fairy, Cobargo, Candelo, Cygnet, Healesville, Mullumbimby, Newstead, Kangaroo Valley, Dorrigo, Maldon, Illawarra, the National, and Yackandandah folk festivals. His seventh album Tangle of Souls was recorded in Trentham, Victoria and comes packaged in a cloth-bound, 240-page hardcover book of road stories and ruminations. The album spent two weeks at #1 back home on Alberta’s province-wide community radio network, and earned Scott his third Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, for English Songwriter of the Year. This year he’s returning to Australia with his eighth album Troubadourly Yours and forming a new band called Scott Cook and the Little Rippers with longtime collaborator Liz Frencham on upright bass, Justin Vilchez of the High Street Drifters on mandolin and Pete Fidler on dobro.
“He sings his heart and soul, and in doing so lets light flood into your own… He has a good eye for imagery, a gentle human touch, a wry sense of humour, a whole lot of integrity, a warm, rugged voice and a bunch of memorable lines… Truly one of Woody Guthrie’s children.” –RnR Magazine
“These are whip-smart, bone-achingly lovely, socially committed songs presented with a bold, elegant directness evoking the very best of the folk music tradition. Last night’s performance in Notional Space was a thing of rare beauty.” —Mark Jacobs, presenter, Notional Space, Vancouver
We’re excited to welcome Scott and his band back to The Old Church on the Hill on Sunday 9 November, as part of Bendigo Blues & Roots Weekend (mini-fest). Doors open 3:30pm for an 4pm start. Pre-sale tickets $20 or $25 at the door on the day.
About the venue:
The Old Church on the Hill is on Djaara Country – the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people and is located on the corner of Harkness and Russell Streets, Quarry Hill, Bendigo.The Singer/Songwriter Showcase events, staged at the Old Church by the Bendigo Blues & Roots crew on a semi-regular basis, are an opportunity to enjoy a House Concert vibe in a public venue. The door charge is kept as low as possible to ensure accessibility to all. Under 12s free and, although drinks are available for sale, the focus is on THE MUSIC.Proceeds from drink sales go to supporting the Old Church crew and their many worthy initiatives.We look forward to your company for an intimate concert experience like you’ve likely never experienced before.

Hailey Calvert, with special guest Skip (Albert Skipper) live at The Old Church on the Hill, Bendigo
2025-11-16 16:00 - 18:00 | The Old Church on the Hill, Cnr Harkness & Russell St, Quarry Hill, Bendigo, 3550, AU
Hailey Calvert, with special guest Skip (Albert Skipper):
Brisbane folk/blues artist Hailey Calvert returns to Bendigo for the first time in 5 years to celebrate the release of her 5th record ‘Common Heartbreak’. Owning a powerhouse voice and an honest writing style has earned her many fans both overseas and in Australia. Hailey will be joined on stage by Scottish multi-instrumentalist Jason Cameron; expect beautiful harmonies, new songs and some old favorites.Opening for Hailey and Jason will be Bendigo legend Skip.
Doors open at 3:30pm for a 4pm start. Tickets $20 pre-sale or $25 on the door on the day.

‘Hailey was an artist who seemed – to us – to come out of nowhere, and we couldn’t understand why she wasn’t just… everywhere. We’ve tried to make sure she’s everywhere we are since – we’ve had her at two festivals and a private event for Woodford over the last three years. She has a gorgeous wonderfully warm voice, really just stunning – a lovely manner on stage, and she’s exactly the type of generous, humble and good-spirited artist that make working in music such a pleasure.’-Woodford Folk Festival

“Hailey’s honest song-writing and emotive, yet flawless, delivery draws the listener in like few others can achieve. She creates a connection between performer and audience I’ve rarely witnessed.”- Colin Thompson, Festival Director Bendigo Blues and Roots Music Festival

About the venue:
The Old Church on the Hill is on Djaara Country – the land of the Dja Dja Wurrung people and is located on the corner of Harkness and Russell Streets, Quarry Hill, Bendigo.The Singer/Songwriter Showcase events, staged at the Old Church by the Bendigo Blues & Roots crew on a semi-regular basis, are an opportunity to enjoy a House Concert vibe in a public venue. The door charge is kept as low as possible to ensure accessibility to all. Under 12s free and, although drinks are available for sale, the focus is on THE MUSIC.Proceeds from drink sales go to supporting the Old Church crew and their many worthy initiatives.We look forward to your company for an intimate concert experience like you’ve likely never experienced before.

The Blues Tram, feat: Phil & Trudy Edgeley + Steph McCorkelle & Steve Briggs
2025-12-13 14:00 - 16:30 | Departs from Central Deborah Goldmine, 76 Violet Street, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia
Enjoy the sights of Bendigo’s architecturally stunning CBD from on board the sensationally restored vintage Class tram #610, while being serenaded by two talented acts…
Saturday December 13thBlues Tram, feat: Phil & Trudy Edgeley + Steph McCorkelle & Steve BriggsDeparting Central Deborah Goldmine (76 Violet Street) at 2pm, returning by 4:30pm.Tix: $49.50 from Bendigo Visitor Centre 1800 813 513 or online here: https://www.bendigotourism.com/…/ben…/bendigo-blues-tramFollow The Blues Tram here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBluesTram
Strictly no BYO. Drinks and snacks available for purchase.
The Blues Tram is booked, promoted and staged by Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival Inc, a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers.
Please Note:This is a music appreciation event – a mobile concert. For the enjoyment of all patrons, any rowdy or loud behavior will not be tolerated. Event management reserves the right to refuse admission or evict patrons if requests to manage behavior are not complied with; in this unlikely event, tickets of offenders will be forfeited and no refund will be available.
