2016 has been a year of highs and lows.

It all kicked off with Southbound not kicking off due to bush fires dancing in the countryside; the crisis in the Middle East continued to escalate, and of course, David Bowie died. Fear and paranoia gripped the world as the right told the left to get wrecked, with Britain exiting the EU and Trump being nominated as the president-elect.

But alas, there have also been some amazing times, and the year is not yet over! In fact, we will still get to experience a Southbound festival, after all.

2016 has proven to be a truly spectacular year for music, providing evidence for the idea that when times of hardship arise and words fail, music speaks. As Theodore Dreiser deduced; “Art is the stored honey of the human soul, gathered on wings of misery and travail.”

Southbound 2016 is here to see out the year with good vibes and great tunes. For campers, the gates open at 12:00 on Tuesday the 27th, with the first act, energetic local hip hop jazz fusers POW! Negro, kicking off the proceedings at 5pm. They’re followed by the dynamic, self-taught singer-songwriter Tash Sultana with the first night being wrapped up by electronic NSW duos Cosmo’s Midnight and Hermitude.

The first full day of Southbound has a huge schedule prepared, with the early afternoon featuring the likes of Mosquito Coast, Hideous Sun Demon and Verge Collection before the Mainbreak stage is taken over by the gorgeous and incredibly talented Montaigne. After she takes festivalgoers to glorious heights with her mesmerising vocals and beautifully chaotic tunes, folk grunge rockers The Smith Street Band will take centre stage with their self-proclaimed (from my interview with band frontman and lyrical genius Wil Wagner in May) “instrumental, not hip-hop, rap!” The rest of day features a host of artists including Tkay Maidza, Koi Child, Boo Seeka, LDRU, Zhu, Thundamentals and Sticky Fingers to bring the night to a psychedelic indie rock reggae end.

Then provided that you’ve paced yourselves, the festivities certainly aren’t slowing down on the final day with the likes of Aussie rappers Seth Sentry and Drapht, Toronto electronic duo MSTRKRFT, “Psychedelic Reggae Ska Doom Metal Punk Rock From Hell” The Bennies, San Cisco and electronic acts Kilter, Phantogram, Elk Road, UV Boi and Peking Duk. And of course, everyone's favourite Australian ska and jazz band, The Cat Empire!

You can check out the maps and playtimes here.

Excited yet? You should be!