Image: Daniel Purvis
A new roaming music festival is set to showcase a younger, louder and less predictable side of the Barossa this spring, transforming cellar doors, breweries, bars, restaurants and unexpected spaces into live music venues.
Barossa Sessions will debut across two weekends from September 25 to 27 and October 2 to 5, bringing acoustic performances, long lunches, afternoon sessions, sunset sets and late-night gigs to venues throughout the region.
Promoted as the “new wave of Barossa”, the festival will bring together emerging venues, established local operators, makers, musicians and personalities that organisers believe represent another side of the famous wine region.
Rather than creating one central festival site, Barossa Sessions will encourage visitors to move between venues, building their own itinerary as lunch rolls into afternoon performances and intimate acoustic sets turn into late-night events.
While the festival will unfold across the region, The Old Mill in Tanunda will serve as its central base across both weekends, hosting live music, food and drinks from morning until late.
Visitors will be able to use the venue as their starting point, finishing point or a stop between other events on the program, with some sessions expected to continue well into the evening.
The event is also being positioned as an accessible and affordable festival, with visitors able to explore multiple venues and performances rather than committing to a single festival site or high-priced ticket.
Festival Director and Forage Supply Co founder, Scotty Rogasch, said the event is about creating a festival that feels like the Barossa, without doing the expected.
“We want people to come to the Barossa for the music, then discover everything else while they’re here,” Scotty said.
“You might start with an acoustic set over lunch, find another gig down the road in the afternoon and finish somewhere completely different that night.
“It’s not about one stage or one headline act. The Barossa becomes the festival.”
Each weekend will offer a different style of festival experience.
The opening Acoustic Sessions weekend, held from September 25 to 27, will focus on intimate, stripped-back performances, sunset sessions, long lunches and cosy evenings. The program is expected to include acoustic sets, songwriter circles and performances from local favourites in smaller venues across the region.
The volume will turn up for The Big Mix over the October long weekend, from October 2 to 5, with bigger stages, larger gatherings and events running from day into night.
The program will include lawn sessions, open-air parties, curated music experiences, food events and relaxed social gatherings across the Barossa.
By spreading the festival across two distinctly different weekends, visitors will be able to attend individual sessions, explore several venues or book accommodation and experience the broader program.
Among the first events confirmed is Groove in the Gums at Whistler Wines, a Saturday afternoon session featuring live music, award-winning wines and local food beneath the gum trees.
Whistler Wines owner Sam Pfeiffer said the roaming festival format was a natural fit for the region and its venues.
“There are some incredible spaces across the Barossa that completely change when you add live music, a crowd and a spring afternoon,” Sam said.
“Barossa Sessions gives people a reason to move around, discover somewhere they might not have visited before and experience the region in a different way.
“It should feel relaxed, spontaneous and genuinely fun,” Sam said
The full program, including participating venues, artists, event times and ticketing details, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Barossa Sessions
When: 25–27 September and 2–5 October 2026
Where: Barossa, South Australia
For updates, click here.
