Bluesfest Byron Bay Confirms 2026 Return as Tickets Go On Sale

The solar hadn’t even set on what was deliberate to be Bluesfest’s closing day earlier than the official affirmation was on condition that the occasion would stay on.

The long-running competition has develop into an establishment on the Australian festivals calendar throughout its 36-year historical past. Names similar to Bob Dylan, BB King, Paul Simon, John Mayer, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, plus homegrown stars Chilly Chisel, Midnight Oil and Tash Sultana, have all carried out over time, with the dizzying lineups additionally providing probabilities for rising stars to obtain a significant platform.

Nonetheless, this 12 months’s occasion – which ran from April 17-20 on Australia’s east coast – was initially set to be the ultimate outing for the long-running competition. 

“To my Expensive Bluesfest Household, and after greater than 50 years within the music enterprise, Bluesfest has been a labour of affection, a celebration of music, neighborhood, and the resilient spirit of our followers,” competition director Peter Noble wrote in an announcement final 12 months.

“However after the 2025 competition, as a lot because it pains me to say this, it’s time to shut this chapter,” he continued. “As I stated earlier this 12 months at Bluesfest 2024, subsequent 12 months’s competition will probably be taking place and it undoubtedly is, however it is going to be our final.”

Nonetheless, in December, Noble had modified his tune, explaining that the choice to name time on the occasion was an try to regain the assist of the New South Wales state authorities, and famous that organizers have been already reserving acts for his or her 2026 version.

On Sunday, April 20, Bluesfest formally confirmed that the competition would stay on, revealing that it could be happening throughout the Easter lengthy weekend of 2026, from April 2-5. Moreover, attendees have been additionally given the prospect to buy “pre-early hen tickets,” with the supply expiring on the conclusion of the competition.

“Please assist our competition and assure our future by the straightforward act of shopping for your ticket at the absolute best value on the competition right now,” organizers wrote on social media. Historically, normal early hen tickets for the subsequent competition are placed on sale shortly after the earlier occasion, with organizers anticipated to take action within the close to future.

The announcement of Bluesfest’s 2026 return additionally befell someday after Noble stood with Senator Sarah Hanson-Younger and Mandy Nolan because the Australian Greens occasion launched their Festivals Help Bundle on the grounds of the competition.

The Greens’ proposed package deal to revitalize Australian festivals consists of $20 million AUD per 12 months in direct competition grants, $2 million AUD for a complete overview of the failures regarding the insurance coverage market that has effects on the stay music sector, and a nationwide competition technique, alongside tax offsets for artists and venues.

“Our festivals are in disaster,” Hanson-Younger stated. “Over the previous few years we’ve seen the cancellation after cancellation of liked and iconic festivals. It’s clear that the federal government must step in to assist the business.”

“With rising prices, insurance coverage points, and competition cancellations throughout the nation, this plan brings hope and much-needed assist to maintain Australia’s competition scene alive and thriving,” Bluesfest organizers added.

The 2025 version of Bluesfest featured Crowded Home, Chaka Khan and Toto within the headline positions, with all kinds of Australian and worldwide acts finishing the huge invoice. Artist particulars for the 2026 revival of Bluesfest are but to be introduced, although will ostensibly be revealed round August/September, as is conventional for the competition’s first lineup announcement