Welcome to NinchFest! (February 10 & 11, 2023)

Here’s all the information you’ll need for an awesome festival!

NinchFest is a community focused music festival held on Boon Wurrung Country on the Mornington Peninsula (The Ninch), Victoria.

We are committed to nurturing our local talent by giving them the opportunity to perform at our grassroots festival. We also aim to bring select bands and musicians from beyond The Peninsula to perform and experience the great crowds and scene we have to offer. We care a lot about our environment and love enjoying it with you. Our beautiful site, the St Andrews Beach Recreation Club is very special to us and the perfect place to celebrate art and musical culture together. NinchFest is celebrating six years on the Ninch!

OPENING & CLOSING TIMES

Friday 10th February, 4pm – 11pm

Saturday 11th February, 12pm – 11pm

NinchFest number 6 will be held across Friday 10th February and Saturday 11th February.
On Friday the gates will open at 4pm and the festival will run till 11pm with an amazing lineup of artists. On Saturday, the gates are open from 12 noon for more of the good stuff and again will run till 11pm that night. We currently do not have camping at our festival so we request you respect the site, staff and neighbours by leaving on time so we can commence our clean up and pack down.

The live music from our exquisite lineup of bands, local and beyond, will be running from just after gate-time each day. Get in early and find a nice spot on the grass for your picnic rug to soak it all in and indulge in the beautiful surroundings of our festival site. The bars and food vans will be serving delicious local alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and a great range of tasty foods at reasonable prices. You are more than welcome to bring a packed lunch of your own food and drink, but strictly no BYO alcohol – we ask you to truly respect this, in doing so you’re doing your bit to help our festival continue into the future.

TICKETING

$100+b/f (Friday Only) 4pm – 11pm

$120+b/f (Saturday Only) 12pm – 11pm

$190+b/f (Friday + Saturday). This Multi-Day Ticket gives you site access on both days: 4pm – 11pm Friday, 12pm – 11pm Saturday.

Please note, you cannot camp or stay in vehicles on site. This is strictly not a camping festival so you must leave after the festival final act each night.

Look into local accommodation, there are so many lovely places on offer to stay right near the festival grounds. Check our ACCOMMODATION page for some ideas on where to stay local! Otherwise arrange a lift or drive home safely or stay with family/friends in the local area. If you own a local rental or have accommodation you’d like to promote to festival goers, please reach out via the contact page and we may be able to help.

Children 13yo and below get in for free. All children and teenagers 17 years and under MUST be accompanied by a parent/ legal guardian who must enter the festival with you to scan in. For all other ticketing questions please see the FAQs page.

TRAVELING BY CAR

NinchFest is held at St Andrews Beach Recreation Club, 99 Bass Meadows Blvd, St Andrews Beach, Victoria. We suggest you plan ahead and carpool where possible as we have limited parking space. It’s also a great way to cut on carbon emissions and save yourself fuel money where it’d be better spent on a drink at the Ninch bar or a bite for lunch.

DEPARTURES

NinchFest finishes at 11pm both days, where you’ll be required to leave the site at that point so our team can begin to clean up the festival safely. Drive safely, keep an eye out for each other, look after the little ones and make a plan before the festival starts on how you’re getting home. Rideshare or Taxi is the way to go if you don’t have a designated driver.

AT THE GATE

Bring valid ID (Current Driver’s Licence or Current Passport). We need proof you’re an adult, no matter how young or old you look. Bring your ID so we can give you access to the bar if you wish to drink alcohol while at NinchFest. Festival wristbands will give you access to the bar if you’re over 18 years of age. This is not a pass out, once you leave the site for whatever reason you cannot come back in unfortunately. Strap it on tight enough and don’t lose it as there will not be replacements and without it you won’t be allowed back into the festival grounds.

FIRST AID 

We will have a first aid tent on site, so please take note of it on entry so you know where to go should you or your friends need any medical assistance. We also have sunscreen and water here for you if you need.

TOILETS & DRINKING WATER STATIONS

There will be ample toilets located across our festival grounds, just look for the signs! There is free chilled water at the bar where you can fill up water bottles. It can get very hot dancing at Ninchfest in the middle of summer, so do your best to stay hydrated so you can enjoy yourself for the duration of the festival. Please be hygienic, wash your hands and use sanitiser for obvious reasons.

FOOD

We pride ourselves on offering outstanding meals and snacks throughout the event to enhance your NinchFest experience. There’s a whole range of delicious options this year, take a stroll around and see what you like!

DRINKS

Thanks to the good folks at St Andrews Brewery, Mountain Goat, Moon Dog and Bonza Brewing we are proud to offer a great range of their local brewery fresh beer and seltzer. There will also be local wine available at the bar thanks to Kerri Greens and some special cocktails and spirits for good measure. Drinks will be served and sold at a very reasonable price from the bar. If you don’t drink, don’t worry at all we’ll have plenty of non-alcoholic options available to keep your whistle wet. To get a drink at the festival, ensure you have a 18+ wristband, some drink cards from the clearly marked stands and the bar will be at your service.

SOUND CURFEW & NEIGHBOURS

We are pleased to present you with an even bigger and better listening experience than before! The live music will run until 11pm as per sound restrictions and then we all must depart the site in a respectful and happy manner. Respect our neighbours as they are so good to us allowing the festival to happen so close by. We love them – you should too!

KIDS

Kids are of course welcome to our community festival, it’s a great day out for them too! Please be a responsible parent and make sure yours are fully supervised at all times. Please do not let your under 18s drink alcohol at the festival, this can put us at risk of closure and breaches our commitment in holding a nurturing and safe festival for all. Kids 13yo and under will be admitted for free.

WHAT TO BRING

Picnic blanket, fold up camp chairs, hat, raincoat, warm clothing for later on, sunscreen.  Please don’t bring tents or any huge flags, giant umbrellas or furniture, you’ll block the stage view for others. We will have a lot of shelter available for those who want to stay out of the sun. Please come prepared for all weather conditions including cold, rain and/or intense sun and heat as we’re between two bays things can change quite quickly.

WASTE & RECYCLING

We’re committed to reducing our footprint on the environment as much as possible so we recycle all waste where we can. Please do your bit by disposing of your rubbish in the correct bins. Bring your waste from the festival grounds to the many bins around the perimeter of the festival. Please don’t leave broken furniture when you leave, if you brought it in we ask you to kindly take it with you. Thanks for helping keep our festival site clean.

FIRES

Fires and naked flames are not allowed. No portable BBQ or gas bottles please. We will have plenty of hot food options available for purchase from the food vans. Smokers note, please ensure your cigarette butts are properly extinguished and dispose of them correctly. Do not throw them on the ground, put them in the bin and butt them properly.

WHAT YOU CAN’T BRING TO NINCHFEST

• GLASS
• ALCOHOL / DRUGS
• POLYSTYRENE
• GAS BOTTLES / KEGS
• PETS
• AGGRESSION
• FIRE / BUTANE STOVES / BBQ
• LARGE FURNITURE 

Thanks for reading, see you at NinchFest!