CANBERRA—Kendrick Lamar, the Compton-born rap titan, is set to light up Australia’s Spilt Milk festival this December, marking a triumphant return for the event after a year on ice. The festival, a staple for music fans across the country, dropped its 2025 lineup on May 2, with Lamar’s name at the top of the bill, joined by Top Dawg Entertainment’s rising star Doechii. It’s a coup for organizers, who scrambled to rebuild after canceling last year’s event, leaving fans high and dry.
Spilt Milk, owned by U.S. entertainment giant Live Nation, will hit four cities—Ballarat, Perth, Canberra, and the Gold Coast—bringing its signature mix of indie, hip-hop, and electronica to sun-soaked crowds. Lamar, fresh off a Grammy-winning streak and his chart-dominating album GNX, is expected to draw thousands, with his set likely to lean on tracks like “Not Like Us” and “Loyalty.” Doechii, riding the wave of her acclaimed mixtape Alligator Tears, will add her own fire to the stage, a nod to the festival’s knack for pairing heavyweights with new blood.
The announcement lands as Spilt Milk claws its way back from a rough patch. In mid-2024, organizers pulled the plug on the festival, citing logistical headaches in a terse Instagram post that left ticket hopefuls gutted. Behind the scenes, the New South Wales government stepped in with a lifeline, funneling $2.25 million into a Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund on April 16. Spilt Milk, alongside outfits like Bluesfest, scored up to $500,000 to keep the lights on. The cash injection, aimed at stabilizing Australia’s festival scene, paved the way for this year’s comeback.
Tickets go on sale May 9, with pre-sales kicking off a day earlier on May 8. Fans are already buzzing, and Lamar’s headline slot has sparked whispers of a potential solo tour hitting Sydney and Melbourne, though nothing’s confirmed. For now, Spilt Milk’s return is the story—a gritty, hard-won revival with a rap icon leading the charge.
The festival runs in December 2025 across four Australian cities. Kendrick Lamar and Doechii are confirmed headliners. Ticket prices and full lineup details will be released closer to the pre-sale date.