The Bluesfest Busking Competition is a highlight of the festival, offering up-and-coming artists a vital platform to showcase their talents and jump-start their careers. This celebrated event attracts musicians from across Australia, eager to perform at one of the nation’s most prestigious music festivals and gain exposure to a broad audience and industry professionals.
Past winners and participants like Tones and I, Parcels, Kim Churchill, and The Buckleys have gone from our stages to national and international acclaim, underscoring the competition’s role as a significant stepping stone for aspiring musicians.
The competition is not just about winning; it’s about celebrating new music, artistic passion, and the vibrant future of Australia’s music scene. Join us in congratulating our Top 6 from the Grommets (Under 18s) and our Top 20 in the Adults division. We've reviewed close to 400 registrations and are absolutely stoked with our finalists. Thank you to all registrants for taking the time to enter.
BUSKING 2025 WINNERS
BUSKING 2025 WINNERS
Torin Peat is a young Queensland-based musician who, at age 14, won the 2025 Bluesfest Grommets (under-18) Busking Competition with his original song “Horseback Blues.”
He writes and plays his own music. Drawing from blues and country, and inherited his grandfather’s Maton guitar to begin his musical journey.
Torin is also involved in his school’s music program at Sheldon College, where he plays multiple instruments and writes songs about his experiences, technology, and life.
Birren is a young Bundjalung (Gudjingburra) musician from Booningbah (Fingal Head) on the North Coast of New South Wales. Raised in a deeply musical family, he picked up his first instrument, a ukulele, early on and was playing drums by age five. His childhood—surfing, fishing, and spending time by the ocean—inspires his sound, which blends roots, reggae, and R&B into laid-back, groove-driven tunes. In November 2023, he released his debut single “Greenshack,” a metaphor about searching for the perfect wave.
He’s already performed at major festivals like BIGSOUND and St Kilda Festival, and his music invites audiences on a journey of reflection, connection, and coastal rhythm.
OPEN WINNERS
OPEN WINNERS
GROMMET WINNERS
GROMMET WINNERS
2024 The Steel Syndicate |
2012 Lifeline – Now ‘Parcels’ |
2013 Nick & Sam |
2014 Craig (3 Members) – Now ‘Parcels’ |
2015 Hoo8Hoo – Now ‘Sametime’ |
2016 MAPLE |
2017 Molly Millington |
2018 Neon Inferno |
2019 Palm Valley |
2021 Ben Swissa |
2022 Loose Content |
2023 Da Manager |
2004 Adahmo |
2005 Engine Three Seven |
2006 Fire Tree |
2007 Marshall and the Fro |
2008 Matty Devitt Band |
2024 The Royals |
2009 Kim Churchill |
2010 Hussy Hicks |
2011 Minnie Marks |
2012 Brother Fox |
2013 Claire Anne Taylor |
2014 Eddie Boyd & The Phatapillars |
2015 Grizzlee Train |
2016 IVY |
2017 Tay Oskee |
2018 Sametime |
2019 Electrik Lemonade |
2021 Bronte Eve |
2022 Buttered |
2023 Perry Street Park |
BLUESFEST
A Celebration of Blues
& Roots Music & beyond
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