Best venues to catch a gig in Geelong and The Bellarine
From pumping local pubs to mega events with A-list international acts, Geelong and The Bellarine’s gig guide is bursting with live music for a good night out. You can also snag yourself a little live comedy, dance and theatre too.
Pistol Pete’s Food n Blues drops you into an intimate bar straight out of Louisiana, New Orleans or anywhere else in America’s deep south. This is the place to tuck into a Cajun burger or gumbo and cornbread, knock back an American beer (or a local one!) and soak up the live blues, jazz and soul.
You’ll get another hit of the south on The Blues Train. Yep, it’s an actual train (steam-powered) that rocks and rolls 16km along the heritage Bellarine Railway while audiences shift between carriages to watch four different acts. Drinks and hearty, comforting food are on offer too. Toot toot!
If you want to go big, join up to 20,000 party-goers at Mt Duneed Estate which regularly snags A-list acts like Elton John, Sting, Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams. It also plays host to the annual ‘A Day on the Green’. This winery estate is an outdoor venue so bring a picnic rug and fill your glass. Way more mellow are the Sunday sessions at Leura Park Estate winery.
The art deco beauty that is Geelong’s Palais plays host to anything from acoustic duos to swing big bands, comedy and popular acts like Joe Camilleri & The Black Sorrows or Katie Noonan.
Set to be the largest regional arts centre in Australia, Geelong Arts Centre has cutting edge design and phenomenal acoustics. Come here for anything from symphony orchestras and opera, to dance, comedy and music.
Legendary as one of Geelong’s top live music venues is The Barwon Club, aka ‘BC’. Grab a drink and a meal in the Front Bar, have a boogie in the beer garden with the resident DJs, or dive head first into the Band Room which throngs with up to 350 revellers. Get ready to get loud and sweaty.
Other pub favourites include the Elephant & Castle Hotel and The Sphinx. Elephant & Castle has been a corner pub fixture in Geelong since 1891, rocking live music Fridays through Sundays. With a façade like its namesake, The Sphinx hosts tribute bands (Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond, INXS etc), comedy and old favourites from the Aussie music scene.
