Lil Kim, Wednesday, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 and More Headline Melbourne’s RISING 2026
The expansive 2026 program is set to transform Naarm/Melbourne into a city of music and movement.
Image supplied
Naarm/Melbourne’s RISING Festival returns in 2026 with another eclectic lineup highlighting music, art and performances across the city from Wednesday 27 May to Monday 8 June.
This year’s RISING presents over 100 events featuring 376 artists, including seven world premieres and 11 Australian premieres, transforming the heart of the city into a flourishing creative space.
Major highlights of this year’s program include Florentina Holzinger’s incendiary new epic at Arts Centre Melbourne, The Royal Family Dance Crew’s arena-scale takeover of Hamer Hall, the reopening of the historic Flinders Street Ballroom as a participatory dance academy and the Australian premiere of The Vinyl Factory: Reverb at ACMI.
As far as the musical lineup is concerned, hip hop heads will be pumped after it was announced that Lil Kim will be celebrating her iconic multi-platinum albums Hard Core and The Notorious K.I.M. with a special appearance at Festival Hall.
Afrobeat royalty Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, spiritual jazz pioneer Kahlil El’Zabar, alt-country group Wednesday (featuring Karly Hartzman and MJ Lenderman), pop artist Cate Le Bon, English post-punks Dry Cleaning, beloved Kiwi act The Bats and many more will also be performing across the two weeks.
American keyboardist, flautist, singer and production legend Brian Jackson, a close friend and collaborator of Gil Scott-Heron, is teaming with rapper Yasiin Bey for Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson & Yasiin Bey, a performance that honours the legacy of one of the most influential voices in modern music.
Check out the full lineup of artists performing at RISING 2026 here.
READ MORE: BigFest 3 Takes Over The Gov This April
“Melbourne is a city shaped by music and movement, always moving forward and reinventing, remixing and birthing new sounds and styles from dolewave to bounce, from traditional Wurundjeri dance to the Melbourne Shuffle,” says RISING Artistic Director and CEO Hannah Fox. “Music and dance are universal ancient languages and remain the most loved way we gather as a community – from folk dance to the rave, and from sticky carpets to arenas.”
“RISING festival returns to rev up Melbourne this winter with an open invitation to Victorians and visitors to celebrate our city at its creative best,” says Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries Katie Hall MP. “Alongside a roster of incredible local and international artists there are plenty of free experiences on offer and opportunities for people of all ages to unleash their inner artist thanks to the first ever Australian Dance Biennale which will offer classes for all ages alongside incredible performances.”
RISING returns to Melbourne from Wednesday 27 May to Monday 8 June 2026. Pre-sale begins on Thursday 12 March at 12pm with early bird prices across the program for RISING subscribers. General on sale begins at 12pm on Monday 16 March. Full details are available at rising.melbourne.
