The 10-day festival begins on May 22, with the NZ Gold Guitar Awards running the following weekend.
Country Music Honours at the St James Theatre will start the proceedings in style, where the Topp Twins will be awarded the 2026 Country Music Honour for their contribution to country music. The event will also include a performance by the Waratahs.
“[The honour] acknowledges the work that happens both on and off the stage,’’ Country Music Honours manager Vanessa Harvey said in a statement.
‘‘Dame Jools and Lynda have given joy and heart to every A&P show, theatre, city and town of Aotearoa – and held the door open for so many country acts coming up behind them.
‘‘No-one is more deserving of this honour.”
The festival also features a massive line-up of workshops, local events and even a show by comedian Tom Sainsbury.
Promotions and event co-ordinator Annabel Roy said this year’s festival was set to be the biggest yet.
“This will be our fifth festival and we’re growing it so quickly.
“There’s a huge range of music events. It’s not just country, we’ve got country-rock, folk, Celtic music.
“There’s intimate events with singer-songwriters, big rock concerts and parties, and workshops for artists,” she said.
Sponsorship from Air New Zealand was also a boon for the festival and Ms Roy said it helped get big names from around New Zealand and Australia to come and play.
“It’s a wonderful help, it’s not just for one year, but they’ve committed for three which is fantastic.
“[The sponsorship] has played a part in us getting artists from the North Island and Australia. We just wouldn’t have the funds to otherwise cover their travel.”
The festival team had travelled to Gore’s sister-city Tamworth to grow support, paying out of their own pocket and experienced a positive reception for the Southland spectacle.
“We look to our big cousins in Tamworth, the Tamworth Country Music Festival just celebrated their 51st festival, they’re now at 2500 events across 10 days in a town the size of Invercargill.
“There’s no reason why we can’t, if we keep the momentum going and the community continues to support us, be the exact same as Tamworth in the next 45 years.
“There was a notable lift and interest from musicians and patrons about coming from Tamworth to Gore.
“They look at . . . Tussock Country as potentially their first international touring opportunity,” she said.
Ms Roy said a few events were very close to selling out, but said times were tougher than ever for ticket sales and invited the community to check out everything on offer and see a few events.
“We would really appreciate the community support. Come along to something, anything, even if it’s a free event.
“We bring it from around the world to your doorstep and it would be great to see some new faces at this year’s festival.
“Everyone is very welcome.”
gerrit.doppenberg@alliedmedia.co.nz
