St Kilda Festival's Big Festival Sunday 2026 features Jessica Mauboy, Sneaky Sound System and a historic comeback.
ARIA Hall of Famers, Eurovision royalty and dancefloor favourites will converge on the St Kilda foreshore for Big Festival Sunday 2026. The lineup spans generations of Australian music, from legacy acts staging comebacks to contemporary pop stars at the peak of their powers.
Mental As Anything return to the Main Stage presented by Australian Survivor on 10 in what marks their first St Kilda Festival appearance in a quarter century. Original founding members Peter O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa are reuniting to lead a new lineup under the band’s iconic banner, bringing with them a catalogue that includes 25 Top 40 hits. Live It Up, The Nips Are Getting Bigger and Too Many Times remain fixtures on pub jukeboxes and throwback playlists, with the former still receiving regular airplay across the UK and Europe decades after its release.
St Kilda Festival Big Festival Sunday 2026
- St Kilda Foreshore
- 15 February
- Free entry
- Program runs 12pm to 9pm
St Kilda Festival lineup
Main Stage presented by Australian Survivor on 10
- Sneaky Sound System
- Jessica Mauboy
- Mental As Anything
- The Grogans
- SUB-TRIBE
- Velvet Bloom
Catani Gardens
- Close Counters
- Grace Cummings
- Babe Rainbow
- Drifting Clouds
- FRENZEE
- Lucky
- Wrong Way Up
Optus Stage (O’Donnell Gardens)
- Easy Peasy
- ISHAN
- Meghna
- MONROE
- Peach Fuzz
- Salmon Head
- The Mik Maks
- The Rest Is History
- Multicultural Storytime
Acland Plaza
- Canisha
- Charlie Lane
- Charlie Needs Braces
- George Kamikawa
- Greg Gould
- Joyce Prescher
- MIZUKI
- Ricky Neil Jnr
Belford Street Stage
- Alethia
- Boox Kid
- Desmond Mase
- Jamie MacDowell
- Laura de Elvira
- Nii Odai
- Ruby Mae
- Sanny Veloo
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Jessica Mauboy
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Jessica Mauboy joins the Sunday bill with nearly two decades of credentials behind her. She made ARIA chart history as the first Indigenous Australian solo artist to debut at number one on the Albums Chart, racking up six top 10 albums, 16 top 20 singles and 21 platinum accreditations along the way. Her resume includes touring with Beyoncé, representing Australia at Eurovision 2014 and starring in films including The Sapphires and Bran Nue Dae.
Sneaky Sound System
Sneaky Sound System round out the headliners, with the ARIA-winning duo continuing their run as one of Australia’s most reliable dancefloor acts. Miss Connie and Angus McDonald have been filling clubs and festival tents since the mid-2000s, with recent tracks proving just as popular as their earlier catalogue.
The Grogans
The Grogans bring their surf-rock and garage sound to the bill, fresh off releasing their fifth studio album Stagger and completing international tours across North America, the UK and Asia. The Melbourne trio have built a reputation as one of the country’s hardest-working young bands, with their track Money Will Chase You earning gold certification from ARIA.
Catani Gardens
Over at Catani Gardens, Babe Rainbow bring their sun-soaked psychedelia to the bill alongside Melbourne singer-songwriter Grace Cummings, whose powerhouse vocals have earned comparisons to everyone from Joni Mitchell to Lucinda Williams. Cummings released her third album Ramona in 2024 and has spent the past year touring internationally with My Morning Jacket. Close Counters, Drifting Clouds, FRENZEE, Lucky and Wrong Way Up round out the stage.
The Optus Stage
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The Optus Stage in O’Donnell Gardens shifts gears throughout the day, opening with family programming before transitioning to emerging talent from 4pm onwards. The Mik Maks and Multicultural Storytime kick things off for the younger crowd, before ISHAN, Meghna, MONROE, Peach Fuzz, Salmon Head, Easy Peasy and The Rest Is History take over later in the afternoon.
New Music Stage
The New Music Stage showcases a diverse spread of emerging talent competing for a $5,000 cash prize and a slot at the 2027 festival. Multi-instrumentalist Kyle Glover performs with Earthlike alongside award-winning songstress Wild Gloriosa, bold indie-pop force and disability advocate MAGNETS, and Adelaide artists effie isobel and Sunsick Daisy. Genre-bending powerhouse OSITA, The Carp Factory, pop and R&B performer Ivoris, enigmatic electronic duo Bcharre بْشَرِّيْ and electronic jazz outfit Kitsch Kitchen round out the bill. The competition has previously launched careers for Missy Higgins, Baker Boy and Client Liaison.
Acland Plaza and Belford Street Stage
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Additional stages at Acland Plaza and Belford Street Stage round out the programming with local emerging talent. Acland Plaza hosts Canisha, Charlie Lane, Charlie Needs Braces, George Kamikawa, Greg Gould, Joyce Prescher, MIZUKI, and Ricky Neil Jnr, while the Belford Street Stage features sets from Alethia, Boox Kid, Desmond Mase, Jamie MacDowell, Laura de Elvira, Nii Odai, Ruby Mae and Sanny Veloo.
The festival remains entirely free and all ages, with more than 350,000 people expected to descend on the beachside suburb across the weekend. Big Festival Sunday stretches from 12 noon to 9pm, with food vendors, market stalls, carnival rides and community activities running alongside the music.
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This article was made in partnership with St Kilda Festival.
