Grab a scarf and a beer, because Moonee Valley is throwing a two-weekend music party this winter.
Forget hibernating this winter, Moonee Valley has other plans for you. Valley Sounds is back for 2026, rolling out across two weekends with a lineup that spans indie folk, jazz, rhythm and blues, and yes, a nu metal tribute band doing Slipknot covers at a bar on a Saturday night.
The free community music festival runs from 25 June to 5 July, with gigs packed into a stack of local venues including Deluxe Bar, Holmes Hall, Saros Bar & Dining, Edward Abbotts Wine Bar, Pin Oak Beer and Wine, Boxcar Barbers, Doutta Galla Hotel, and the Union Hotel.
Moonee Valley City Council has pulled the program together to spotlight the municipality’s live music scene, keeping things accessible with free or low-cost entry across the board, so basically there’s no excuse not to go.
Valley Sounds 2026 – Moonee Valley
- Clocktower Centre — 25 June, 7pm (free opening night: Ben Sorensen, Clare Bowditch, DJ Greg Bracey, CJ Cummerford and the Supertones)
- Edward Abbotts Wine Bar — 26 June, 6pm–9pm (Farren Jones)
- Deluxe Bar — 27 June, 2pm–7pm (Shelby Lim)
- Holmes Hall — 28 June, 12:30pm–3pm (Gospel Sundays)
- Edward Abbotts Wine Bar — 28 June, 2pm–5pm (Rusty Brown)
- Studio 3 — 28 June, 5pm–6:30pm (Emily Rosner)
- Saros Bar & Dining — 2 July, 7pm–9pm (Dom Bagnato and Sam Tabone)
- Deluxe Bar — 4 July, 2pm–7pm (Simon Ross)
- Deluxe Bar — 4 July, 9pm–1am (Break Stuff)
- Doutta Galla Hotel — 4 July, 9pm (Shane Howard)
- Holmes Hall — 5 July, 12:30pm–3pm (Gospel Sundays)
Check out our gig guide, our festival guide, our live music venue guide and our nightclub guide. Follow us on Instagram here.
Things kick off on 25 June with a free opening night at the Clocktower Centre from 7pm, hosted by comedian Ben Sorensen alongside a conversation with ARIA-award-winning artist Clare Bowditch, with DJ Greg Bracey and the vintage sounds of CJ Cummerford and the Supertones also on the bill.
From there, the program absolutely does not let up: Melbourne harpist Emily Rosner is out to shatter every preconception you have about the instrument, pianist Simon Ross brings serious international jazz festival credentials to Deluxe Bar, Gospel Sundays will have you dancing at Holmes Hall across two Sundays, and Goanna frontman Shane Howard takes the stage at the Doutta Galla Hotel on 4 July.
The full program is available online, where you can also book directly with participating venues and plan your ultimate winter music crawl.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with City of Moonee Valley.
