No stranger to Groundwater Country Music Festival (CMF), Casey Barnes is not only a crowd favourite at the festival each time he performs, but also a proud Gold Coast local!
Returning to the stages in Broadbeach from 20 – 22 October 2023, we’re so excited to welcome Casey back to help us celebrate 10 years of country music on the Gold Coast.
To help pass the time until October, we caught up with Casey to chat all things Groundwater CMF, and some of his favourite festival memories as we look back on the last decade of festivities!
From the ARIA Awards to the Golden Guitar Awards, his most recent album ‘Light It Up’ showcased exactly why Casey is one of the top country artists in Australia today. Despite having played at festivals around the country and touring across the world, Casey doesn’t shy away from showing his love to his hometown crowd at Groundwater CMF, where he made his first appearance back in 2014.
“It’s definitely no secret, most people know that Groundwater CMF is one of, if not my favourite festival to play. There’s nothing better than a hometown crowd and these guys actually gave me a start when I was first knocking on doors trying to get on a festival and they were one of the first to give us a run.”
Since then, Casey has returned to Groundwater CMF five more times, eventually headlining and performing on the main stage at Surf Parade which unbeknownst to the rest of us, was actually a full circle moment for Casey.
“I think my favourite memory of Groundwater CMF, one that was really special was the first time we played main stage on Surf Parade, and we were standing up on stage, half way through the set, there’s a sea of people all the way down the street as far as the eye could see and it was just a really special moment that I’ll never forget. But what made it even more special was that Surf Parade is where I met my wife for the first time.
I used to play a little solo acoustic Sunday afternoon gig at a little restaurant on the right side of the street. My wife happened to walk past, hear me play, we met and we’ve now been married for 16 years, got two kids. And it all happened on Surf Parade.”
Back to perform at his seventh Groundwater CMF in 2023, don’t take our word for why you’ve got to come, hear it from Casey himself!
“It doesn’t really get any better than Groundwater CMF. You’ve got the beach on one side, you’ve got the hinterland on the other. You’ve got some of the best restaurants and cafes in Australia, all in one place. Plus some of the best country music you’ll ever come across in an incredible location. If you’re yet to come, put it on your bucket list and definitely come along. It’s going to be one heck of a party!”
Joining Casey this October will be other country favourites like Lee Kernaghan, Jackson Dean, Amber Lawrence, Asleep at the Wheel plus many more yet to be announced!
If you’d like to join in on the celebrations at Broadbeach, secure your accommodation today for a party not to be missed.
