Leaps and Bounds Music Festival is back for 2025, bringing four days of non-stop live music and community celebration to the City of Yarra from Thursday 24 July to Sunday 27 July.
Set across more than 20 beloved venues in Fitzroy, Collingwood, and Richmond, the festival transforms pubs, clubs, bars and band rooms into dynamic spaces pulsing with creativity, energy, and sound.
A highlight of Melbourne’s cultural calendar, the festival is proudly presented by Yarra City Council and curated by the very people who live and breathe its music scene—local bookers, promoters, and record labels. This year’s lineup reflects the diversity and spirit of the area, featuring a mix of iconic acts, rising stars, experimental performers and community-led initiatives.
Among the headline events is the return of the legendary Punters Club, teaming up with The Evelyn Hotel to present Kennel District, hosted by tastemaking labels I Oh You and Calibre. At The Gem Bar, garage rockers Rocket Science take the stage, while at the Standard Hotel in Fitzroy, First Nations country music icon Roger Knox—aka Blak Elvis—delivers an intimate and heartfelt performance.
At the Grace Darling Hotel, sound and space collide in a genre-bending night of outsider electronics, dub noise and ambient grooves curated by Scorched Axis. Rooftop bar Runner Up plays host to Chesstivus, a live chess tournament soundtracked by some of Naarm’s hottest DJs. Over at The Workers Club, Queer Shift celebrates trans and gender-diverse DJs in a night of boundary-pushing dance music.
Bodriggy Brew Pub showcases four fully stacked nights of First Nations programming featuring artists like Candice Lorrae, Poli-Pearl, WVCHWY, Kanisha, Liv And The Dreams Art, Fosters, and the Tjum Tjumba Collective. Meanwhile, The Corner Hotel brings back the soul with the Tracey Miller Band and friends, inviting older residents and people with disabilities to enjoy an afternoon of gospel and jazz classics.
Other must-see gigs include Lazy Sunday at The Tote, with performances from Constant Mongrel, J. McFarlane’s Reality Guest, The Shifters and more, plus PBS’s live radio broadcast Swinging City at The Railway Hotel North Fitzroy.
For full details and tickets, visit Leaps and Bounds Music Festival.
