Golden Plains 2026 review – Basement Jaxx turn a regional farm into a surreal and heaving club

With standout sets from Cut Copy, Marlon Williams and Water From Your Eyes, the cult favourite Victorian music festival has become the hottest ticket in town Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email “Who’s never been here before?” Uncle Barry Gilson asks during his Welcome to Country. Hands raise across the grassy bowl in front of him, and the Wadawurrung man grins: “Welcome to the family. You’ll never leave this place.” It really does feel like home. Over two days and nights, Golden Plains transforms a sprawling country farm into an alternate universe: groups of friends in flamboyant costumes dance beneath brightly lit lanterns against a sea of couches dotted around the Supernatural Amphitheatre – the festival’s one stage, known by regulars as “the Sup” – and a few inflatable pools this year, too. There’s a real sense of community: you might run into your neighbour, your co-worker or, as I did, someone you sold a washing machine to on Marketplace. Whoever it is, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile. Now in its 18th iteration, Golden Plains – a camping festival in regional Victoria – occupies a unique place on the rapidly dwindling Australian festiva