Yours & Owls Offering Local Emerging Artists the Chance To Play This Year's Festival

Less than two months out from this year's Yours & Owls, organisers behind the annual event have partnered with Horizon Bank to give emerging artists the chance to perform at this year's Festival.

This awesome initiative aims to spotlight new and exciting talent, allowing up-and-coming artists to perform live on stage.

Yours & Owls and Horizon Bank are introducing the Horizon Rising stage, completely dedicated to local Wollongong and South Coast artists.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Horizon Bank to open more opportunities to platform local artists," says Yours and Owls promoter Ben Tillman. "We always work to build and nurture our local creative community and provide as many opportunities for local artists as possible. We have an incredibly unique and strong local scene, being able to showcase that as part of the festival is really important to us."

On the day, festivalgoers will vote for their favourite performance, with the winning artist receiving a $2,000 grant from Horizon Bank.

"Our backyard is home to incredible musicians, and we wanted to create a genuine pathway for emerging artists to perform at one of Australia's most respected festivals. The grant is there to help the winning act take their next step, whether that’s with new gear, studio hours or chasing the next opportunity," said Horizon Bank CEO Mitch Cooper.

The Horizon Rising Stage is running on Sunday 4 October, in the centre of Crown Street Mall.

Emerging artists with Wollongong and South Coast postcodes can apply via https://bit.ly/YAOHorizonRising until 5.00 pm on 31 August 2026.

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Held over two days during the NSW Labour Day long weekend in Wollongong on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, Owls & Yours 2026 is headlined by Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter bbno$, in an Australian exclusive, alongside Aussie favourite G Flip.

Situated at Flagstaff Hill on Wollongong’s foreshore, Yours & Owls also features a host of amazing Aussie artists, including Ball Park Music, DMA’s, Genesis Owusu, Hiatus Kaiyote, Luude, Middle Kids, Pnau, The Drones, Tkay Maidza and many more.

Tickets are on sale now at yoursandowlsfestival.com.au.

Yours & Owls Festival takes place in Wollongong Foreshore, South Beach & Wollongong City, Dharawal Country on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October. Tickets are on sale now at moshtix.com.au.