Bluesfest Returning in 2026

Festival Director Peter Noble has announced the iconic Byron Bay festival is coming back next year.

After Byron Bay Bluesfest Festival Director Peter Noble said towards the end of last year that the festival might be done and dusted, he has backflipped and revealed the return of the festival in 2026.

“We’ve had the highest attendance of any Australian festival since pre-COVID at 109,000 attendances - the third-biggest event we've done in the history of the festival.... festivals are back,” Noble said in a statement about this year’s event.

“We’re the top-selling festival in the country, and we’ve worked hard to get here. That support means Bluesfest fans have kept this dream alive. It's a clarion call for me. People want this event. People want it to continue.”

Not only is Bluesfest returning, but dates for next year’s festival have also been announced.

Bluefest 2026 is scheduled to run over the Easter long weekend from Thursday, April 2, to Sunday, April 5, with early bird tickets on sale now via bluesfest.com.au.

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Bluesfest 2025 was another resounding success, with the festival headlined by the likes of Chaka Khan, Toto, Crowded House and Adelaide legends Hilltop Hoods.

In a statement about the festival, Noble revealed his favourite acts, bar the headliners, including “The Pierce Brothers, the reformation of The Beards, Kim Churchill, Nahko, Fools, Eric Stang, RY X, Sweet Talk, 19-Twenty, Roshani, WILSN, and Clarence Bekker.”

Early bird tickets for Byron Bay Bluesfest 2026 are on sale now via Moshtix.