A new grassroots music festival is coming to Orange in 2026, promising three days of peace, love and a whole lot of live, local music!

VicStock will take place at the Victoria Hotel over three days, February 27 - March 1 next year, with more than 15 local and regional acts performing across two stages.

A collaboration between monthly music nights, Off the Tracks and Groove Kitchen, VicStock will be completely free and a whole lot of fun, says co-organiser, Esther-rose Parton.

“Every Act is really top shelf,” says Esther-rose. “We've got Where's Jimmy headlining on the Saturday night. We've got High Tone Pants, Felix Albert and the Gentlemanly Two… We've got Dr TAOS, the Dan Woelk Trio, Lily Elliott, Can-Ape, Sam Bucca Band, and Reverend Hawthorne in the Hand of the Law, Pharlap's Heart, Cicada Club… and there will be some surprises in there too!”

The focus for VicStock is supporting local musicians and local live music, says Craig Mills, founder of Groove Kitchen, a regular music night at Orange’s home of live music, the Victoria Hotel.

While the line-up will include a few visiting bands, Craig says all have ties to Orange, and in particular to the Vic.

“There is a 25-30 year history of live music in this hotel,” says Craig. “So this pub has supported all genres of live music… and everybody that is playing (VicStock) has had some association with the Vic, either playing at ‘4 on the 4loor’ or Off the Tracks, Groove Kitchen, or they’ve been here in their own right performing in the pub.”

It just sort of evolved that way, adds Esther-rose, with so many local bands and performers eager to put their hand up to play and get involved in the new festival.

“It just became this collaboration and showcase of our local music and culture and that's happened really naturally,” she says.

“Orange has a really thriving music scene, and this will be a really great opportunity to support all of these acts in the area, in one location, over three days - and it's free!”

And keeping the festival free to attend is important, Esther-rose says, as they want to encourage people to come and experience the depth of talent in the region and take a risk on something new.

“We want people to come and see bands they don't know… So it's opening up music to the masses, and they might hear something new that excites them!”

While much of the behind-the-scenes work is being done voluntarily, Craig and Ester-rose say there is still a huge cost to putting on the festival, and they would love to talk to any businesses that would like to be involved in supporting our local original music scene.

“This is really about local people collaborating to support local musicians that don't always get a chance to express themselves originally… This is really an opportunity for local businesses to get behind local musicians and really come together and celebrate the culture our region has in relation to the arts,” she continues.

“We've been a strong music region for so many decades, so I think this is going to be a really great celebration, and it’ll be great fun!”

Anyone interested in talking to Esther-rose and Craig about being involved in VicStock can email offthetracksatthevic@gmail.com