One Month On: We Look Back at Highlights from Beyond the Valley’s 10th Anniversary Bash

Even if you didn’t attend Beyond the Valley last year, chances are you experienced it second-hand online. Barunah Plains – less than two hours’ drive out of Melbourne heading west – had surprisingly strong mobile service. Fun tent set-up tours, festival fit checks and discourse about a morning run club gripped online feeds throughout the multi-day festival.

On the ground, BTV was an ecosystem of its own, with an enormous ferris wheel at the heart of it all. At noon every day, the three stages simultaneously transformed into seas of festival-goers and their doof sticks. As I spent five days over New Year’s bouncing from set to set at Australia’s biggest camping festival, some elements clearly stole the show. I’ve recapped them below – or you can watch them play out in the official aftermovie.

Pop music is so back

The line-up of 90 global and homegrown artists brought a multitude of genres for every listener. Hard techno maverick I Hate Models and tech house producer Dom Dolla – who rang in 2026 on the Valley Stage – sat alongside their counterparts DJ Heartstring and Ben Böhmer, and groovy house DJ Chris Stussy. Channel Tres delivered a genre-blurring mix of house and hip-hop, while hardcore punk powerhouse Turnstile brought the mosh pit to life.

However, pop undeniably ruled this year: 2charm delivered dance-y electro-pop anthems; Spacey Jane and Julia Wolf offered mellow indie-pop stops; and 2000s star JoJo brought fans back with nostalgic hits like Leave (Get Out) and Too Little Too Late. When Addison Rae stepped on stage for her first-ever festival performance, fans began chanting “hydrated” – a reference to a viral clip of the Tiktok influencer turned pop star – as the opening synths of Fame is a Gun played. The crowd went wild for the Von Dutch remix (a track from Charli XCX’s Brat album), Diet Pepsi and Aquamarine.

The year 2025 closed with Kid Cudi’s first performance Down Under in over a decade – the American rapper performed his euphoric Pursuit of Happiness – before Scottish DJ sim0ne and Aria-rated electronic artist SWIM kept the Dance Dome pulsing till 4am.

Ice baths, movies, and even a run club

While the music will always be the main draw at a festival, organisers made sure there was still plenty to do even when the sound systems were off.

 The Sanctuary offered a wellness hub with ice baths, yoga, mat Pilates and meditation, while The Lounge Room presented plush couches and a full program of podcasts curated by The Daily Aus and classic movies like Shrek.

Across the site, The Palms Pool House emerged as a standout destination, a shimmering oasis where festival-goers could cool off, gather and soak up the atmosphere. And Downtown BTV was a packed maze of experiences and activities – from a Red Bull bar dressed up as a petrol station to a dance club hidden inside an ice-creamery.

Tents set up for socialising

The official festival spaces weren’t the only ones bringing the vibes. Some campers’ tents were more than just a place to rest their heads. Walking past shady elms and eucalypts, I spotted impressive makeshift lounges all around complete with rugs, tables, camp chairs, fairy lights and speakers, all arranged like outdoor living rooms. I even spotted a group of friends getting ready in a dedicated dressing tent, complete with a full-length mirror and clothing racks.

For those like myself who weren’t as equipped, the festival’s public experiential spaces were a welcome rest stop.

Y2K accessories met desert gear

Weather-first utility dressing reigned, particularly on the scorching yet windy days – there was even a mini tornado. Colourful bikini tops were paired with retro Adidas trackies or Lara Croft-esque microshorts, while guys wore sturdy Chelsea boots. Last festival’s pashminas gave way to campy capes that billowed in the wind (and kept sandstorms off the back) à la the lightweight Jubba cloaks in Dune.

Y2K accessories brought the glamour. We spotted camo prints and sequins on caps and scarves, both playful nods to early 2000s streetwear. (Faux) fur appeared everywhere – on boots, belts, hats – and Melbourne-based electronic pop duo 2charm even rocked Russian-style ushankas on stage.

The food trucks ate

Chicken schnitzel, Ethiopian-style stews, gozleme, souvlaki, smash burgers, dumplings, banh mi – if you can name it, it was probably at BTV. Food trucks encircled the mercifully shaded eating area, which doubled as a meeting spot throughout the day. The juice and acai trucks were a godsend in the heat, and the paella stand sustained me throughout the festival. Shout out to the taco station, which stayed open late to fuel hordes of hungry ravers.

A 10th outing to remember

Nothing will beat the feeling of Dom Dolla ringing in 2026 as 40,000 bodies moved and danced in time. With the countdown on a giant screen, doof sticks in the air, and the beat dropping exactly at midnight – alongside matching pyrotechnics and streamers – it’s a high I’ll be chasing all year.

Every festival claims each year to be bigger and better. Beyond the Valley has 10 years to back it up; with this kind of line-up, food offering, space, vibe and demographic, it’s easy to see this has been the biggest one yet. Now to see if it can top it for the 11th – and the rest of the decade to come.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Beyond the Valley. Relive all the best moments from the momentous music festival with the official aftermovie, taking you back to this escape from reality and the everyday grind with cinematic flair and, of course, excellent music.