Adelaide loves a music festival. We call ourselves the festival state for a reason. But when it comes to immersive, design-led electronic events, a lot of young South Aussies still end up looking interstate for the kind of experiences that feel creatively ambitious and intimate.
That’s where M7 BNKR steps in.
Landing next Sunday (Australia Day long weekend) inside a 160-year-old sandstone quarry at the Overland Corner Hotel on the Murray River, M7 BNKR is a brand-new electronic music festival that doubles as the launch of a new South Australian seltzer, Mirage 7.
Instead of rolling out the usual brand-launch playbook, M7 BNKR is rolling out as a full day-to-night experience, letting underground electronic music, site-specific production and a seriously unique setting do most of the talking.
“The event was born as a way to promote the seltzer, but it was always designed to take on a life of its own,” says founder Liam. “I see it becoming a highlight after New Year’s that people genuinely look forward to every year.”
The quarry is the anchor, and it’s a long way from a warehouse rave or a stock-standard paddock setup. Once used to mine sandstone, its sheer walls now form a natural amphitheatre, holding sound and energy in a way purpose-built venues can only try to replicate. A custom-built stage will sit inside the quarry walls, backed by large-scale lighting, visual installations and drone cinematography, turning the space into something that feels more like “a contained world than a standard event,” Liam tells us.
“As soon as we scoped it out, it felt right,” he says. “It’s literally carved into a hill. The BNKR name came naturally from that. Seeing a site like this used for a completely new purpose is very unique and exciting.”
Running from 2pm through to 12.30am, M7 BNKR Vol. 1 follows the natural rhythm of the day. Sun overhead, shadows stretching across stone, then night settling in as the music deepens and the quarry really comes alive.
The lineup brings together artists shaping the next wave of Australian electronic music, blending homegrown talent with interstate names, all selected for their sound, energy and alignment with the Mirage 7 ethos.
Adelaide artists 2XR, Bling, Contempo and Dolph are joined by Benjamin and Luke Hovey from Melbourne, alongside Sydney selectors Eva Charley and No Chasa. It’s a deliberately eclectic mix – different sounds, same energy – so each set rolls into the next without ever killing the mood.
“The lineup was chosen to feel cohesive without sounding the same,” says Liam. “They all share a similar energy, but each bring something different. If this event can help elevate even one of these artists, that’s mission accomplished.”
And then there’s the seltzer. Billed as “your favourite seltzer’s favourite seltzer”, the Mirage 7 is zero sugar, zero carbs, gluten-free and vegan, infused with electrolytes and made using premium cane spirit. Designed to sit somewhere between day and night, the guilt-free drink taps into the balance that defines how a lot of young Aussies are living right now.
“M7 is built for people who move differently,” he says. “People who take care of themselves, but aren’t afraid to let their hair down.”
Health might be one thing, but the Mirage 7 delivers on taste, too. The debut flavour, cucumber and lime, is clean, crisp, light and dangerously smashable – and it skips the aggressive fizz and syrupy sweetness that weighs a lot of other seltzers down. The kind of drink you keep grabbing without really thinking about it until Meg from the camp next door nabs the last one.
M7 BNKR is also a quiet pushback against how festivals have been disappearing in South Australia. With fewer large-scale events and a lot of the same venues and formulas being recycled, the idea here is to do something smaller, more intentional and genuinely tied to place.
“Victoria and NSW have these smaller festivals in rural areas, but we haven’t really had that here,” Liam says. “The quarry being in the Riverland encourages people to leave the city, camp out, and discover parts of South Australia they might not even realise exist.”
Free camping along the nearby Murray River seals the deal. Arrive mid-afternoon, stay up late, wake by the water. Community-centric in the best way, You’ll probably leave with a few new mates from the tent next door.
Positioned as Volume 1, M7 BNKR is just the beginning. While this chapter leans into electronic music, future Mirage 7 experiences won’t be boxed into one genre or format.
“For now, this is about setting the tone,” Liam says. “But it’s very much a springboard for what’s to come.”
Next Sunday, electronic music will echo off sandstone walls, a seltzer will launch, and one of South Australia’s most unexpected festival settings will host the first chapter of something that feels different, in the best way.
Last remaining tickets available to purchase here.
Volume 1, M7 BNKR / Mirage 7 seltzer launch
Where: Overland Corner Hotel, Old Coach Rd, Overland Corner, South Australia
When: Sun 25 Jan, 2pm – Mon 26 Jan, 12:30am
For the Mirage 7 website, click here.
@mirage7club
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