When Country Splash Cabo co-founder Robert Fried first talked to Billboard about launching the destination festival in Cabo San Lucas, he said, “One of the core concepts [is] to be the opposite of a major field festival. The intent is to be up close and personal where you can see your favorite country artists from 100 feet away instead of watching on an LED screen.”
Mission accomplished.
The first (hopefully) annual event took place Sept. 4-6. Country Splash bought out the 350-room/suite Paradisus Cabo San Lucas, an all-inclusive luxury beachfront resort, as well as made deals with surrounding hotels to create a peak destination musical experience.
With headliners Tucker Wetmore, Jon Pardi and Riley Green, the poolside festival also featured an undercard that included such developing talent as Jacob Hackworth, Blake Whiten, Zach John King and Lauren Watkins. Rounding out the bill were Dasha, LoCash and Cameron Whitcomb, who were among the best received acts of the event.
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The live acts started right after sundown. The temperature was still sweltering — it was 88 degrees with 67% humidity at 9:15 p.m. Saturday night — but at least it no longer felt like 106 degrees as it had earlier in the day, in the blistering sun. The heat had main character energy in virtually every act’s set: At one point, Dasha declared, “I’ve never had so much sweat drop down my body before.”
Fried built the event around intimacy and capped attendance at 3,000 people this year (potentially expanding to 5,000 attendees for future years), making it about half the size of Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa in Cancun. Despite having to navigate around the massive pool (as if that’s a negative), it never felt overcrowded, and there was always ease of movement between the stage, the vendor stands and bars. The only thing occasionally blocking sightlines were the palm trees. There was even a wellness element that included a yoga class with Diplo on Saturday.
The festival is among the growing number of music events highlighting American country music in Mexico, catering to tourists and Mexicans alike as the genre’s popularity swells in the country. Country Splash may be the most luxe offering: All-inclusive suites at the Paradisus went for as high as $10,000 for four nights, but there were also one-day general admission passes available for as low as $199, according to the event’s website.
Here are the highlights from the inaugural year.
Finely Tuned’s multi-day warehouse event series The Works will return to Sydney’s Carriageworks, with Armand Van Helden, Overmono, KI/KI, Jayda G, Ewan McVicar, salute, Sam Alfred, Job Jobse and more joining the 2026-27 program.
The Australian promoter announced the latest edition on Tuesday (Sept. 8), confirming a run of events across December and January at the inner-Sydney arts venue. The series will begin with an already announced, sold-out Pegassi all-night-long set on Dec. 5, before continuing across New Year’s Eve and four January dates.
The New Year’s Eve bill is led by Armand Van Helden, whose Billboard history includes “You Don’t Know Me,” which reached No. 2 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and Duck Sauce’s “Barbra Streisand,” which hit No. 1 on Dance Club Songs and No. 89 on the Hot 100.
Canadian DJ and producer Jayda G adds further pedigree: her 2020 track “Both of Us” earned a Grammy nomination for best dance recording, part of a career that’s also included a Peabody-nominated science documentary and a Mixmag Album of the Year win for 2019’s Significant Changes.
Welsh electronic duo Overmono, made up of brothers Tom and Ed Russell, headline Jan. 8. The pair appeared among Billboard’s Charts First-Timers in 2023 following the release of their debut album, Good Lies.
The season will close Jan. 9 with Amsterdam producer and DJ KI/KI, whose high-speed sets draw from acid, techno, trance and rave sounds. Her tracks include “5 Mins of Acid,” “Leave It to the Vibe” and the Armin van Buuren collaboration “Put Your Bassline.”
The Works launched in 2025 as part of Finely Tuned’s Sydney events calendar, presenting large-scale electronic music shows at Carriageworks. Its first edition featured artists including Underworld, Ben Böhmer, Chris Stussy, CamelPhat, I Hate Models, Michael Bibi and Pretty Girl.
Founded in 2006, Finely Tuned has built a portfolio across Australian festivals, club events, tours and brand activations, including Lost Paradise, Lost Sundays, Above and Paradise Club.
Presale for The Works begins Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. AEST, with general onsale following Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. AEST.
The Works 2026-27 dates are below.
Dec. 5 — Pegassi (all night long) — sold out
Dec. 31 — Armand Van Helden; Ewan McVicar b2b salute; Jayda G
Jan. 6 — Rossi.; Dean Turley b2b Jamback; Stacie Fields
Jan. 7 — Sam Alfred b2b Job Jobse (open to close)
Jan. 8 — Overmono
Jan. 9 — KI/KI
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