Name: Southern Lights Festival
Start: 2026-04-18T08:00:00+10:00
Location: Cobargo Showground

Southern Lights is a youth-led, multi-art form festival where young people don’t just attend — they run the show.
Across three workshop days leading up to the event, participants aged 13–24 work with experienced mentors to design the visuals, build the stage and décor, produce the media, run the sound and lighting, and curate the performances. The result is a vibrant festival experience created from the ground up by the next generation of regional creatives.
Southern Lights is equal parts live music, digital art and community celebration — making it a must-see event for families, festival lovers and adventurous audiences ready to experience something bold, new and unforgettable.
Daytime Program — Bega Valley Synth Expo
Step into a full-day celebration of creativity, sound and technology as the Pavilion becomes the Bega Valley Synth Expo from 10am – 2pm.
During the day the festival transforms into a collaborative learning hub where curious minds can explore the world of electronic music and sound design. Learn the basics of DJing from experienced performers, discover how synthesisers create sound, experiment with music hardware and software, and wander through the interactive Synth Expo — a crowd-sourced display of unusual instruments, vintage gear, modular synth systems and homemade noise machines.
Whether you’re a musician, tinkerer, tech enthusiast, student or simply love trying something new, these workshops offer the chance to create, experiment and play.
Evening Concert
As the sun sets, Southern Lights shifts into full performance mode. The evening concert showcases an exciting lineup of emerging young talent from across the South Coast, supported by the festival’s youth-run production crew.
Headlining the night is Lilith, a heavy metal band from Bega forging brutal soundscapes that channel teenage rage and raw emotion. Formed by lifelong friends Fern Cross (vocals), Lincoln Dack (guitar) and Matilda Dack (bass), and joined by drummer Toby Norton, Lilith draw influence from nu-metal, deathcore and modern heavy acts to deliver explosive performances and powerful vocals that defy expectations.
Also appearing are Ava Baker and Emily Spooner, a dynamic singing duo from Bermagui and Narooma performing songs by male artists in female keys; Archie Schwartz, blending originals and classic influences inspired by his hero Paul McCartney; and BbyBatXox, bringing a bold electropop sound exploring themes of coming of age, identity and escapism with a club-kid twist.
Expect bold visuals, immersive projection mapping, dynamic sound and an atmosphere charged with creativity, surrounded by décor, lighting and projection installations designed and built by local young creative producers.
Tickets
Day + Night Pass: $30 / $15 concession
Daytime Synth Expo: $10 / $5
Night Concert: $20 / $10
Numbers are limited — book now to secure your place.
The Southern Lights Festival is in partnership with the Bioluminescence Project, Griffith University, RMIT, Bega Valley Synth Club, Candelo Arts Society, the Sapphire Electronic Music Society, the Yuin Folk Club and the Cobargo Folk Festival.
The Yuin Folk Club is growing music and arts in the Cobargo region supported by funding from Destination NSW and Create NSW
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.