Forget what your inner-north friends say about leaving Melbourne. Spilt Milk in Ballarat is proof that sometimes the only thing better than staying home on a miserable Saturday is committing to a two-hour trip to Ballarat for world-class music.
You know the Melbourne weather drill, December means the odd heatwave, strangely humid nights or relentless cold and soaking rain. With a roll of the dice, the rain gods decided our festival day was going to be the latter but we went anyway, joining a massive, poncho-clad crowd that was ready to defy meteorological common sense. There’s something uniquely Australian about 40,000 people collectively deciding that a little bit of hypothermia is a fair price to pay for a good bass drop.
Once we accepted the dampness, the festival grounds were a genuinely chaotic delight. The sheer volume of food trucks was staggering. Honestly, I thought I’d stumbled into a high-octane food and wine expo that just happened to have Kendrick Lamar on the bill.
The real MVPs, though, were the activations: The Vanessa TAC house saved lives with free warm toast, and you could try to win sunnies by spinning their Hills Hoist. The Smirnoff Guilty Pleasures stage kept the classics spinning, but the crown jewel was the Red Bull Capsule. Tucked away like a secret, sweaty party, it felt like a private Boiler Room set hosting some of the best sound and tightest lineups all day.
Musically, the day was a sprint. After easing in with the moody indie of Sombr and witnessing Rebecca Black complete her full-circle pop redemption arc, the energy cranked up to ten.
The dance tent became a refuge, where Sara Landry and Skin on Skin launched an all-out laser assault. Their high-octane sets were so intense, I’m pretty sure my smartwatch thought I’d just run a half marathon.
Then came the spectacle. Doechii brought a full-blown “Swamp Rave” to regional Victoria, complete with a hydraulic lift, a 4×4 ride-on and enough pyro to worry the local fire brigade. It was gritty, elaborate, and utterly captivating, and the unquestionable best show of the festival.
Just when our sensory receptors were starting to fry, Kendrick Lamar took the stage. Closing the night with a full-on production of dancers, fire effects, and a fireworks finale that finally defeated the persistent rain, he reminded us all exactly why he sits on the throne. While the production was world-class, we would like to call out that whatever genius decided to put up a sound tent that was large enough to completely block out the main stage from view for anyone even remotely to the side or behind it needs to have a rethink. Overall, as long as you didn’t mind a bit of rain, you were bound to be as happy as a pig in mud.
We left cold, wet, and absolutely buzzing, we’d brave the Ballarat freeze again without hesitation because there’s no use crying over some Spilt Milk.
– The Plus Ones
Spilt Milk was in Ballarat on Saturday 6 December, 2025. Check out the full festival lineup and see other tour dates when they head to the Gold Coast, Canberra and Perth.
This venue is accessible.
