Push Over Festival Returns To Celebrate 40th Anniversary of The Push

Aussie music charity The Push is celebrating 40 years of championing young people and Australian music this November with Push Over – 40 Years of The Push.

This landmark celebration of the young people's charity will take over Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne on Saturday 21 November as part of the Live at the Gardens series, presented by MG Live, The Push and Double J.

13 years since the last Push Over festival, this year's event features a slew of awesome Australian artists, with Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb, Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt and Regurgitator all coming together for this one-day celebration.

Each headlining artist will be joined on stage by a special guest for an exclusive one-off Push Over collaboration, with Alex Lahey, Alice Ivy, Baker Boy, members of Public Figures, Ruby Fields and Thalia and Cahli from Teenage Joans – all of whom have a personal connection to The Push – appearing on the day.

"We're over the moon to bring back Push Over to celebrate our 40-year history as Australia's youth music charity. Its return is iconic – bring your parents, bring your kids," says Kate Duncan, CEO of The Push.

"Artists, young music fans, and parents have asked us to bring Push Over back – and we've listened. It was a rite of passage for bands and music fans for more than 20 years, including my first gig in 1998 seeing Rancid, The Living End and Jebediah."

Tickets for Push Over – 40 Years of The Push at Live at the Gardens go on sale Monday 27 July at 12pm AEST from Ticketmaster.

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The Push has been supporting and nurturing young people in music for four decades. Inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2024, this year saw The Push launch its National Plan for Young Australians and Music, a 10-year blueprint to build consistent contemporary music infrastructure for young people across Australia.

"The Push got us a ton of all-ages gigs in the early days; regional shows with bands we loved too. They do a lot for our generation of bands and people who love live music," says Bodyjar.

Frenzal Rhomb adds, "Why do we love The Push? Coz kids can do stuff better than old people. And organisations like The Push prove it. But mostly, coz it meant we got to play to heaps of people that we normally wouldn’t get to, to pollute their young, developing brains with our music, and get them hooked for life!"

Killing Heidi says, "As a teenager, the live music world is mostly locked behind 18+ doors, and The Push tore that barrier down. They treated young artists and young audiences as if they mattered, because they do. For a kid from Violet Town, that meant everything. Killing Heidi played Push Over in 1996, our first festival gig. Standing on that stage as kids, in front of a crowd our own age, was the moment things started to feel real for us … it set us on the path to everything that came after."

Magic Dirt adds, "Push Over shows were such a huge part of growing up – and really, growing up in Melbourne. In 1994 we played Push Over at Luna Park with Spiderbait, The Meanies and Silverchair. Silverchair were just hitting the big time, and it was like something out of a crazy Beatles-era hysteria. The crowd was a heaving, surging and pumped mass of kids! It’s honestly amazing to see The Push still going strong, championing Australian live music for new generations of young music lovers."

"It’s awesome to see The Push turning 40 and still providing the yoof a safe place to scream and be screamed at," says Regurgitator. "It was a blast back then and continues to be a blast to be a part of this amazing, shared, formative experience."

Catch Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb, Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt, Regurgitator and more performing at Push Over at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne on Saturday 21 November. Tickets on sale via ticketmaster.com.au.