The Bend Classic is back for another year and it’s got all the right ingredients to make a crackin’ Seven country stars, a rodeo under lights and a campsite calling your name. Your October long weekend just got a lot louder.
Dust off the boots and fire up the group chat. The Bend Classic is back, and it’s got all the right ingredients to make a crackin’ weekend.
The three-day festival will take over Shell V-Power Motorsport Park, just over an hour’s drive from Adelaide, bringing together country music, rodeo, motorsport, camping, food and plenty of good old country entertainment.
And there’s plenty worth clearing the calendar for: seven chart-topping country stars led by Lee Kernaghan and James Johnston, a rodeo under lights, a Dolly Parton tribute by Tori Darke and a line dancing record attempt. Add historic racing, drags, hillclimb action, classic cars, BBQ pitmasters, $5 pies, whip cracking, axe throwing, karting, a drive-in movie and SO much more.
As South Australia’s take on the big country festival experience, the event combines the atmosphere of a music festival with the spectacle of a major motorsport event, with plenty of bull power thrown in.
Three generations of Australian country music will share the stage, with headliners Lee Kernaghan and James Johnston joined by James Blundell, Robbie Mortimer, Andrew Swift, Denvah and Tori Darke. Saturday’s music marathon starts at 12.30pm, with Darke’s Dolly Parton tribute promising a big ‘9 to 5’ singalong.
Lee Kernaghan said the event has the makings of something much bigger than a one-night concert.
“Country music festivals are all about big crowds, great stories and bringing people together, and The Bend Classic has all the ingredients to become something really special,” he said.
“You’ve got the music, the camping, the atmosphere and a whole weekend built around it. I reckon this event has the potential to grow into the Tamworth of the South.”
But music is only one part of the weekend.
Friday will see racing on the Motor Racing Circuit from 8am before the rodeo takes over Extended Podium Park from 5pm to 9pm, with $19,000 in prize money up for grabs. The return of the rodeo will sit alongside Saddle & Stomp line dancing, giving everyone from complete beginners to seasoned dancers a chance to get their boots moving. The Friday night program will then roll into an Old Town Rd Country Dance Party, continuing until 11pm.
On Saturday, Saddle & Stomp is calling for more than 800 dancers to join a South Australian record attempt. Get a head start on ‘Strummingbird’, choreographed by Maddison Glover to James Johnston’s ‘One More’, with the free stepsheet, tutorial and demonstration.
Then there’s the motorsport.
Historic and vintage racing, hillclimb action, Saturday’s Nostalgia Drags and the Summit Racing Equipment Dragway Track Championship will keep things loud trackside. Classic cars and bikes will be on display from Thursday right through to Sunday, while karting offers a chance to get behind the wheel yourself.
There’ll also be $5 pies at the Welcome Centre, a handy little budget pleaser between acts.
Sunday night will finish with a drive-in screening of Smokey and the Bandit at the Dragway from 6.30pm to 9pm, giving campers one last event before the weekend comes to an end.
For those wanting to make a proper getaway of it, trackside camping will be available from Thursday through to Monday, meaning visitors can arrive before the main festival kicks off and stay for the full experience.
The wildly popular infield Start Line camping is almost sold out, with limited sites also remaining at Horizon. Turn 1 camping packages start at $189 per adult, including three-day admission.
Friday-only general admission, including the rodeo, is $45 per adult. Saturday-only entry, including the concert, is $119, and three-day GA passes are $149. Kids aged four and under enter free with a paying adult.
Fancy the VIP treatment? Texas Club tickets are available for Friday ($99 per adult), Saturday ($249) or both days ($299), with the two-day package also including Sunday general admission. Each option includes event entry for the relevant days and access to the private Texas Club precinct and bar, with ringside rodeo seating on Friday and an exclusive front-of-stage viewing area on Saturday.
This year’s The Bend Classic is shaping up to be one very busy weekend at Tailem Bend, and we’re ready to get among it. Send this to your mates and lock in your tickets and camping.
The Bend Classic
When: October 2nd to 4th, 2026.
Where: Shell V-Power Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend
For more info and tickets, click here.
