On January 3, Summer Dance returns to the sun for the first party of the year. 

UK electronica duo Maribou State make their return to Sydney, and their debut on the courts, bringing a fresh DJ façade to the project we all know and love. Their set is melodic, emotional, and deeply human. There’s a rare magic in the way they channel sound, lifting, moving, and inspiring you all at once. This is Maribou State as you’ve never felt them before, something new, something alive, something quietly transformative. 

Joining them in the daytime is Close Counters, whose fusion of house, neo-soul, broken beat and disco has marked them as one of Australia’s most exciting dance acts. Their music is a celebration of groove and craft: sample-driven, colourful, and built to move your body and your mind. There’s a joy in their rhythm that refuses to sit still. 

Opening the afternoon is Bria, an Eora-based curator and radio voice who brings people together through sound. Her sets wander freely between bass, progressive house, breaks and Jersey rhythms, always held together by a sense of community, connection, and a subtle invitation to move together, as one.