Bernard Fanning Announces ‘Tea & Sympathy’ 20th Anniversary Tour

The Brisbane singer-songwriter will be performing tracks from his seminal debut album, Tea & Sympathy.

Image supplied

Aussie great Bernard Fanning is hitting the road in 2026 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Tea & Sympathy.

Released on 31 October 2025, the album debuted at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and went on to win three ARIA Awards. Highlighting Fanning’s skill as a songwriter, Tea & Symphany spawned the hit singles ‘Wish You Well’, which topped the triple j Hottest 100 in 2005, ‘Songbird’, ‘Watch Over Me’ and ‘Thrill is Gone’.

Fanning’s upcoming tour takes place across February and March 2026 and sees the troubador accompanied by special guests Sam Cromack of Ball Park Music and Georgia Mooney of All Our Exes Live in Texas, with Bob Evans also joining the line-up for the Perth show.

“It’s such a privilege to have made a record that people connected with on such a deep, personal level,” Fanning explained. “I have had so many people tell me that it changed their lives. As an artist, that is one of the things that you hope for. Playing these songs live has always been a communal experience, with the audience sharing in both the intimacy and the full-throated sing-along glory of the songs.”
 
He added, “It’s such a joy to be taking another lap around our country to play Tea & Sympathy again. We’ve got most of the original band back together and can’t wait to play this record front to back in some of the country’s most iconic venues. Having Sam and Georgia along just triples the fun”

Fanning’s Tea & Sympathy 20th Anniversary Tour begins in Adelaide at the recently reopened Thebarton Theatre on Friday 27 February. Dates follow at Perth’s Kings Park & Botanic Garden (Sunday 1 March), Sunshine Coast’s The Events Centre (Thursday 5 March), Cairns’ Performing Arts Centre (Saturday 7 March), Brisbane’s The Fortitude Music Hall (Saturday 14 March), Newcastle’s Civic Theatre (Tuesday 17 March), Sydney’s State Theatre (Friday 20 March), Thirroul’s Anita’s Theatre (Saturday 21 March), Canberra’s Theatre (Tuesday 24 March), Melbourne’s Palais Theatre (Friday 27 March) and Gold Coast’s HOTA Theatre on Saturday 28 March.

Artist and venue pre-sales commence at 10am AEDT on Monday 3 November and run until 9am AEDT on Wednesday 5 November. Register here.

General public tickets go on sale at 12pm AEDT on Wednesday 5 November via bernardfanning.com.

READ MORE: Regurgitator Plot Monster 31 Date 2026 Australian Tour

The tour announcement coincides with the release of the 20th anniversary editions of Tea & Sympathy, which is out now (buy here).

Available on both vinyl and CD, the reissue features updated artwork and rare archival content, with the double vinyl edition packaged with B-sides, unreleased material, acoustic versions and reinterpretations of some of his biggest hits by artists including The Paper Kites and Troy & Jem Cassar Daley

Fanning has also shared his reimagining of ‘Watch Over Me’ with Kasey Chambers and Clare Bowditch. Recorded at Fanning’s Brooklet Studio with Bick DiDia, the track replicates the iconic 2006 ARA Awards performance.

Catch Bernard Fanning at Thebarton Theatre on Friday 27 February. Ticketing information available at bernardfanning.com.

Bernard Fanning Tea & Sympathy 20th Anniversary Australian Tour Dates 2026

With Special Guests Sam Cromack, Georgia Mooney and Bob Evans**

Friday 27 February – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
 
Sunday 1 March – Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth, WA
** With special guest, Bob Evans
 
Thursday 5 March – The Events Centre, Sunshine Coast, QLD
 
Saturday 7 March – Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD
* Sam Cromack will not be appearing at this show
 
Saturday 14 March – The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD
 
Tuesday 17 March – Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSW
 
Friday 20 March – State Theatre, Sydney, NSW
 
Saturday 21 March – Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul, NSW
 
Tuesday 24 March – Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT
 
Friday 27 March – Palais Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
 
Saturday 28 March – HOTA Theatre, Gold Coast, QLD

---