As the dust settles on the festival's announcements a few weeks ago, we caught up with Parkway Drive’s frontman Winston McCall and The Amity Affliction’s Joel Birch.
Parkway Drive have introduced their Park Waves festival. The announcements are a sight for sore eyes, and the events will be a circus for the senses, bringing together music, food and the fun of sideshows, performers and more to Perth, Adelaide, Geelong, Scoresby, Bendigo, Wollongong, Eastern Creek, Maitland, Toowoomba, Byron Bay and Sandstone Point throughout February and March 2026.
I start with an obvious question, at least to me. Parkway Drive are one of the biggest bands on the planet, arguably able to play or even headline just about any festival in the world— why choose to book and organise their own from the ground up?
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Winston smiles, finding it hard to accept the compliment.
“It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s something that we wanted to bring to places that don’t necessarily have access to something like that.” he begins.
Park Waves Festival Tour Dates:
- Saturday 14 February 2026 – Langley Park, Perth, WA 16+
- Friday 20 February 2026 – Adelaide Showground, SA 16+
- Sunday 22 February 2026 – Geelong Showground, VIC 16+
- Saturday 28 February 2026 – Caribbean Gardens, Scoresby, VIC 16+
- Sunday 1 March 2026 – Bendigo Jockey Club, VIC 16+
- Thursday 5 March 2026 – Thomas Dalton Park, Wollongong, NSW 16+
- Saturday 7 March 2026 – Sydney Dragway, Eastern Creek, NSW 16+
- Sunday 8 March 2026 – Maitland Showground, NSW 16+
- Thursday 12 March 2026 – Queens Park, Toowoomba, QLD 16+
- Saturday 14 March 2026 – Cavanbah Centre, Byron Bay, NSW* 16+
- Sunday 15 March 2026 – Sandstone Point Hotel, QLD 16+
Park Waves is notably a regional festival, skipping Eastern hotspots like Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, instead hosting the festival between the major cities.
“It’s just as much about taking the reins yourself as it is us being able to expand on what we’ve always been about: access to a Parkway show, or access to this kind of music.”
He continues, explaining that both Amity and Parkway are at the point where they struggle to do regional shows because not everywhere has venues that can facilitate them.
“So a festival is the way to go for being able to provide access for that. It also means we’re able to put on the show we want to put on.” he concludes.
In jest, I ask how Parkway’s experience having played a lot of festivals has set them up to organise their own.
“We’ve got really good people, it’s the kind of thing where we’re slightly out of our depth,” he laughs. “We’ve never done anything like this before, but we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t have a plan.”
“First time for everything!” he says, though continues to say they have a tented setup to account for weather and improving sound. “We’re not just rocking up to a field and chucking down a stage on the back of a truck and saying ‘That’s good enough.’”
I turn to Joel and ask what it means to him to be included in a festival like this.
“It’s the first time [Parkway and Amity] have played together in Australia. Ever.” he explains. Despite having been mainstays of heavy music in Australia for 20 years, they’ve never landed on the same bill. “Just two ships in the night.” he says with a grin.
“The reason we went to America to do Youngbloods was ‘cause these guys went and did Killing With a Smile, the reason we went to America [to tour] was ‘cause they did, the reason we went to Europe was ‘cause they did, so it’s sort of a dog chasing its tail. We’ve followed [Parkway] all over the world, so it’s about being able to play in Australia and give it back to the people who’ve raised both bands up to the point we’re at.”
“It’s super special.” says Joel.
Technologically, things have also advanced to the point that a regional festival like this can happen with great sound. Improved wireless systems, amplifier emulators and better PA systems all contribute to being able to take something like this on the road, Winston and Joel both having experienced more than 20 years of performing on big stages.
“We’re like the dads of the scene.” says Winston to a laugh from Joel.
He’s referring to the addition of bands like Northlane and Alpha Wolf to the lineup, both younger bands that have followed in the footsteps of juggernauts like Amity and Parkway. While their influences might not show in an obvious way, they’ve carved their own path through the scene forged by Parkway Drive and The Amity Affliction.
“It makes me think about my age.” laughs Joel. “I think it’s awesome, and it’s almost entirely Australian (the lineup). And that’s a testament to how far the scene has come, from [Parkway] playing at the YAC (Youth Activities Centre) in Byron to us playing at the Town Hall in Gympie, now we’re gonna be taking a whole cadre of Australian artists around. That’s incredible.”
“It’s also because those bands have grown to the point where they are that big,” adds Winston. “It’s awesome to know that both bands are touchtones, whether it’s the genesis of those bands of their sound currently, or anything like that.”
Winston continues, explaining that he’s excited to live in a time where Australian bands are the drawcard at festivals, having come from a time that Australian bands “weren’t even second tier, they were like fifth tier in terms of size and quality and perspective.”
“Now, check out where we’re at. It’s big.”
We chat further about the logic behind a festival like this, the inclusivity of it all, even beyond the musical lineup, Park Waves having sideshows, with spectacles and more. Winston and Joel have come from a time and place, both being from small towns, where access to alternative music, at least the genres they loved, was limited. Access to all ages gigs was even more limited, and while the bands they loved would play, it’d be pubs or 18+ venues.
While they did find and build community, they’re pushing to be a part of something more, to build it up to be bigger than ever.
“Being able to provide that space for people is where it’s at, you lead by example.”
We chat further about the legacy that this first festival will leave, described by Joel as hopefully the ‘inaugural’ festival, hinting at hope for future festivals, and Winston himself shocked at the “amount of Australian bangers that will be played.”
Park Waves begins in Perth on Saturday 14th February 2026, moving across the southern border and up the East Coast to finish at Sandstone Point on Sunday March 15.
Tickets are available now at Parkwaves Festival.
