Nightjar Festival

NIGHTJAR has become a fixture of the Surf Coast summer calendar, and this season it is broadening its scope.

The new Nightjar Festival Series will unfold across five events at the Torquay Common, combining live music with markets, design conversations and wellness-focused programming.

Event director Lyndelle Flintoft said the decision to expand Nightjar into a series came after the strong response to last summer’s near sell-out music nights.

 

“We love delivering Nightjar Festival,” she said. “Last year was really successful. We had nearly sold-out gigs, which is amazing, and everyone just had such a great time.

“At its peak in 2020, Nightjar was welcoming 16,000 people a night. [It’s] wild, exhilarating, and at times overwhelming to see something so small grow so big. With growth came new challenges, especially the huge leap in infrastructure needed to keep everyone safe.

“Fast forward to today, and here we are, redefining what 16-year-old Nightjar looks like.”

With five festivals scheduled to take place in just 13 days, she agrees it’s a big undertaking.

“Some may call it crazy, and honestly, we tend to agree,” she said. “Our small but dedicated team is pouring everything into bringing these events to life.”

 

Running from December 29 to January 10, the series opens with Big Thrift, a one-day vintage and preloved fashion market that attracted more than 5,000 visitors in its first year.

Big Thrift returns with an expanded program, including more than 80 stalls, DJs, buskers, bars and food trucks, alongside new additions such as boot-scooting lessons, a fashion parade hosted by local op shop Eco Thrift and increased activities for children.

Stallholders range from established vintage sellers and record collectors to locals clearing out wardrobes with friends, creating what Flintoft describes as a deliberately open and accessible market.

The series then shifts into Nightjar’s most recognisable format, with Nightjar Festival returning for two summer nights on January 2 and January 9.

Now in its 16th year, the music nights transform Torquay Common into a village-style festival space under the Big Top, featuring emerging and established Australian artists, roving performers, children’s entertainment, market stalls, food trucks and bars.

 

“All the music is under the Big Top, which has been so beautiful the last few years,” Flintoft said. “Everyone hangs out under there.”

She said the festival’s intergenerational appeal remains one of its defining features.

“We offer families great value — a chance to experience a festival in a safe, inclusive environment — and teenagers the thrill of standing up front in the mosh pit for their first live music experience,” she said.

“Nightjar now has those same kids bringing their own children. It’s almost a rite of passage on the Surf Coast.”

Between the two music nights sits Slow Lane, an inaugural event on January 4 that shifts the focus toward housing, sustainability and community design.

Hosted by broadcaster and design advocate Tim Ross, Slow Lane brings together architects, designers, community builders and advocates to explore alternatives to conventional housing and ways of living.

 

The program includes conversations around tiny homes, second dwellings, retrofitting existing houses, food security and sustainability, alongside displays of tiny houses and van conversions on site, with food trucks, bars, children’s entertainment and music on the main stage after 5.30pm.

A full range of speakers and musicians can be found on the website.

“It’s about slower, simpler living and how we live more like a community, more affordability,” Flintoft said. “We have an audience, and we wanted to bring something different to the community.”

Speakers include James Goodlet from Altereco Design, Global Sisters ambassador Diana Connell, Farm My School founder James McLennan and author Jade Miles, who closes the day with reflections on connection and community from her book Huddle.

 

From there, the series concludes on January 10 with Big Exhale, a one-day wellness and connection event designed to help people slow down after the intensity of the summer period.

Big Exhale brings together yoga, breathwork, sound journeys, talks and live music, alongside a wellness village offering saunas, cold plunges and personalised treatments delivered by local practitioners.

The day closes with an immersive DJ set from Dawnbreak, whose founder grew up in Torquay and attended the first Nightjar events as a teenager.

 

“He went to his first Nightjar when he was 17,” Flintoft said. “So, welcoming him home for this show feels particularly special.”

Across the entire series, affordability and local connection have remained central considerations, with Nightjar continuing to partner with regional businesses and suppliers.

As independent festivals face increasing pressure from rising costs and industry consolidation, Flintoft said community support remains critical.

“We believe deeply in what these events offer. We want to keep bringing innovative, connected, meaningful experiences to January every year,” she said.

“We really need the community to buy tickets and come along and support it. It keeps small, independent festival alive.”