Australia’s biggest touring country festival just made its strongest case yet. Strummingbird 2026 drops into three massive outdoor venues this October, and the lineup is the kind that stops conversations cold.
Headlining is Post Malone, and this isn’t a pivot, it’s a full commitment. His Grammy-nominated album ‘F-1 Trillion’ brought together Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll on one record and earned him a Best Country Album nomination. Three years after a sold-out Spilt Milk run, he’s back on Australian soil, and country is the vehicle.
Right alongside him is Bailey Zimmerman, one of the most talked-about names in American country right now. His debut ‘Religiously. The Album.’ built a massive following on hits like “Fall In Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place,” and 2025’s ‘Different Night Same Rodeo’ pushed him even further up the ladder. His Stagecoach cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” took on a life of its own online.
North Carolina’s Cooper Alan brings rowdy energy and genre-bending confidence, with anthems like “Plead The Fifth” already locked into the set. LA-based Stella Lefty and Texan outfit Dexter & The Moonrocks, both climbing the Billboard Top 100, round out a mid-bill that hits harder than most headliners. Dexter & The Moonrocks’ self-coined Western Space Grunge alone is worth the price of admission.
The deeper you go into this lineup, the better it gets. Cam, Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER collaborator, brings her Grammy-nominated ‘All Things Light’ and a voice that commands every inch of any stage. Cigarettes @ Sunset deliver raw Appalachian-edged Possum Rock, Kaitlin Butts arrives as a CMT Next Women of Country Class of 2025 alumna, and Sons of the East, fresh off 750 million streams, bring their beloved blues-country-folk blend back to Australian crowds.
Australian talent holds its own here. Back-to-back CMAA Female Artist of the Year Max Jackson is in electrifying form, Brad Cox’s heartland pivot on ‘Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions’ has been one of the year’s standout stories, and Brisbane’s Briana Dinsdale arrives as a 2026 Countrytown Breakthrough Artist of the Year nominee. Central Queensland cattle station turned global sensation Mack Geiger completes a homegrown contingent that proves Australian country is no support act.
Each stop gets its own local artist. Ballarat welcomes folk-country rising talent Lewis Love, Newcastle spotlights Gamilaraay artist Loren Ryan and her powerful blend of traditional language and modern acoustic songwriting, and the Sunshine Coast closes things out with Sammy White, whose voice is quickly becoming one of the most discussed in modern Australian country. Maddison Glover returns across all three stops to lead the line dancing sessions that became a Strummo institution last year.
Camping is available at Sunshine Coast and Ballarat for the full festival experience, and buses from Melbourne to Ballarat are on offer for those who’d rather leave the driving behind. Camping and bus tickets go on sale later in May.
Presale tickets are available via sign-up at strummingbird.com.au, with GA tickets on sale May 14. Moshtix Ticket Request is open now from 12pm AEST May 6. Payment plans are available through PayPal and Afterpay from May 13.
Strummingbird Festival 2026 Dates:
Saturday, October 10 – Victoria Park, Ballarat, VIC
Saturday, October 17 – Newcastle Foreshore, Newcastle, NSW
Sunday, October 18 – Kawana Sports Precinct, Sunshine Coast, QLD