Best entertainers in Bathurst
Short as it is, Bathurst's list has more variety than most towns its size. In town there are singers, a cover band, a drag act and a fire performer, with a cluster of DJs out at Abercrombie on the edge of the city, and then the nearest names are a harpist in Orange and a handful of acts over the range in Lithgow and the Blue Mountains. Which raises the question every Central Tablelands booker ends up asking: local and limited, or Sydney and the highway?
October answers a lot of it. Race week at Mount Panorama fills every bed in town and the acts along with it, so a wedding or a work do that weekend is booking against the whole country, while for the rest of the year the local DJs and the cover band have room. Winter is cold enough that outdoor plans want a heated marquee, and the acts will tell you so.
Top picks in Bathurst
Top picks are the nearby performers with the most visible reviews, then rating, then the closest; further afield the closest come first, and premium listings break remaining ties. Distances are straight-line from Bathurst. Ask each act whether they travel to your venue and what that costs.
Questions people ask about entertainers in Bathurst
How much does a DJ cost for a birthday party in Bathurst?
The DJs here are local, so there's no travel in a Bathurst quote and the price turns on hours and gear. A four-hour set in a shed at Kelso with one speaker is one job; a club function room with lights, a wireless mic and a smoke machine is another. Race week in October is the exception to everything. The listings on this page carry the from-prices Bathurst DJs are quoting today.
Is race week a bad time to book an act in Bathurst?
The worst in the calendar. The October race at Mount Panorama takes every motel, every function room and most of the local acts, and a Sydney band will price that weekend as a trip with nowhere to sleep. If your date is fixed, ask now and expect a smaller field; if it isn't, move it a fortnight either way and the whole list opens up.
What's on the Bathurst list that isn't a band or a DJ?
A drag queen and a fire performer, both based in town, and a harpist over in Orange. The drag act is the easy answer for a hens night or a fundraiser in a club; the fire performer is for after dark on a property or at a festival, with the venue's sign-off on where they can light up. Neither travels with the gear a band does, which keeps the quote simple.
Can I hold an outdoor wedding with live music in Bathurst in winter?
You can, but it'll be under cover and heated, and the singer will thank you. Bathurst sits high on the Tablelands and winter nights go well below freezing, which is bad for voices, guitar tuning and anyone standing near the marquee door. Spring and autumn are the outdoor months; from May to August, book a hall or a woolshed with a wall between the band and the wind.
Booking tips
DJs are the local strength
Between town and Abercrombie, DJs are the biggest single group close to Bathurst, and for a club function or an engagement that's usually the right call anyway. Ask what lights and PA they bring, because the halls out here rarely have their own.
Orange and Lithgow are the next stops
The harpist is in Orange, and the bands you don't see here are often over there or down in Lithgow, each around an hour away. Ask what the drive home after midnight costs, and whether frost on the highway changes the answer.
Sydney bands charge for the mountains
A Sydney band is three hours away over the Blue Mountains, and the quote will carry the drive, the fuel and often a night's accommodation. Try the local DJs or the Bathurst cover band first, and go to Sydney only for a format the Tablelands can't offer.