St Kilda Festival's First Peoples First marks its 20th edition with ARIA winners and Abbey Road history-makers
Two decades of showcasing First Nations talent gets a proper celebration at St Kilda Festival 2026. First Peoples First, the Saturday program dedicated to Indigenous artists, returns for its 20th edition with a lineup headlined by BARKAA and Selve.
St Kilda Festival First Peoples First 2026
- South Beach Reserve and O’Donnell Gardens
- 14 February
- Free entry
- Program runs 12pm to 9pm
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BARKAA and Selve headline
BARKAA arrives fresh from winning Best Hip Hop/Rap Release at the 2025 ARIA Awards, becoming the first Aboriginal woman to take home the category. The Malyangapa, Barkindji artist burst onto the scene with For My Tittas before Our Lives Matter made her voice nationally recognised. She opened 2025 performing to crowds of up to 90,000, cementing her status as one of the most formidable forces in Australian hip hop. BARKAA’s ARIA win marked a watershed moment for Indigenous representation in Australian hip hop. Her acceptance speech spoke directly to that significance, acknowledging the sisters who paved the way before her and dedicating the win to Black women everywhere.
Gold Coast six-piece Selve join as co-headliners, bringing with them a historic achievement. Their album Breaking Into Heaven became the first full-length record by an Aboriginal artist to be recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Fronted by Jabirr Jabirr man Loki Liddle, the band recorded in the same Studio 3 that produced Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, using gear that hadn’t been fully assembled since the Beatles era.
Two stages
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The Main Stage is located at South Beach Reserve. The Optus Stage is located at O’Donnell Gardens, and hosts additional programming throughout the day.
The brilliant lineup across both stages features Boox Kid, Ruby Mae, The Terrifying Lows, Charlie Needs Braces, James Range Band, Pirritu, Ricky Neil Jr, Drifting Clouds and Liv & The Dream alongside the headliners.
First Peoples First began in 2006 as a platform for established and emerging First Nations artists. Over two decades it has showcased some of the country’s most significant Indigenous performers, with the late Uncle Archie Roach playing the festival 13 times, making him the event’s most-appeared artist.
The 20th anniversary program includes the Kummargii Yulendji Gadabah Sunset Ceremony, overseen by N’Arweet Carolyn Briggs of the Boonwurrung Land & Sea Council. The ceremony acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which the festival takes place, connecting contemporary celebrations to 65,000 years of continuous culture.
The Palais Forecourt
Beyond the music, the day features workshops, markets and a full program of dance and cultural activities at the Palais Forecourt, run by Indigenous Outreach Projects. The programming reflects the broader mission of First Peoples First: celebrating Indigenous culture in all its forms, not just through music but through art, dance, storytelling and community gathering.
St Kilda Festival remains free and all ages across both days, with an estimated 350,000 attendees expected across the weekend.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with St Kilda Festival.
