Australian Outback Festivals Drop Star-Studded 2026 Lineups

Australia’s huge outback festivals are coming back in full form. Birdsville Big Red Bash, set in the Simpson Desert in July 2026 after taking 2025 off, while Mundi Mundi Bash is setting itself up for another record year in August 2026 when it returns to Broken Hill.

In the just-released lineups, there’s a shared roster of Aussie music royalty, including Jessica Mauboy, Troy Cassar-Daley and The Teskey Brothers, but each festival is offering exclusive acts as well. Mundi Mundi Bash is playing exclusive host to Jon Stevens and John Butler, while Birdsville is hosting Missy Higgins, Hoodoo Gurus, The Living End and Birds of Tokyo.

These outback music festivals represent the cultural pinnacle of Australia’s remote festival circuit, offering experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the country.

Returning favourite Missy Higgins expressed her excitement in headlining again at Birdsville, saying, “My band and I absolutely love playing in the desert for The Big Red Bash. Surrounded by giant sand dunes and people having travelled miles in their dusty caravans to get there… it’s so unique and so Australian.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Birdsville Big Red Bash (@bigredbash)

The Teskey Brothers are making their Bash debut, but the festival’s reputation precedes itself for Josh Teskey, who said, “We’ve heard a lot about these desert shows from our friends and we can’t wait to get out there in the red dust and see what it’s all about.”

Hoodoo Gurus are also returning to the Big Red Bash after their memorable 2023 performance, with Dave Faulkner declaring, “Our first-and only-time there in 2023 was one of the most memorable gigs of our lives! What an insane idea: gather a motley crew of merry misfits and savvy self-starters and head out to the back-of-beyond to enjoy a few days of music, mirth and merriment?!”

Greg Donovan, founder of the Outback Music Festival Group, which organises both events, emphasises the impact these events have on the Australian music scene. “Watching families dance in the shadow of the 40-metre-high Big Red sand dune as the sun sets behind it, or seeing thousands on the Mundi Mundi Plains under that endless sky with the Barrier Ranges behind them is pure magic,” he explains.

Both camping-based festivals are expected to attract big crowds, with an expectation of around 10,000 attendees at Big Red and 15,000 at Mundi Mundi. Both events remain all-ages and dog-friendly, and maintain a reputation as highly accessible despite the remote locations.

The Birdsville Big Red Bash runs from July 7–9, 2026, tickets go on sale October 23 at 10am AEDT. Mundi Mundi Bash will runs from August 20–22, 2026 and tickets go on sale on October 24.

2026 BIRDSVILLE BIG RED BASH LINEUP

Missy Higgins Hoodoo Gurus The Teskey Brothers The Living End Birds of Tokyo Jessica Mauboy Shannon Noll Kate Ceberano The Whitlams Tim Finn Troy Cassar-Daley Chocolate Starfish Ross Wilson Furnace and the Fundamentals 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac Shane Howard Wes Carr Jem Cassar-Daley Tom Busby Gypsy Lee

2026 MUNDI MUNDI BASH LINEUP

The Teskey Brothers Jon Stevens John Butler Boy & Bear Baby Animals Jessica Mauboy The Whitlams Leo Sayer Tim Finn Richard Clapton Troy Cassar-Daley Chocolate Starfish Furnace and the Fundamentals Wendy Matthews The Radiators Shane Howard Fanny Lumsden 19-Twenty 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac Hot Potato Band Tom Busby Wes Carr