Live at the Gardens returns with Cut Copy, Todd Terje, Sons of the East, Leftfield and many more for March 2026.
You know that feeling when you’re standing in the middle of a park at dusk, drink in hand, surrounded by heritage-listed trees, and the harmonies are hitting so sweetly you forget you’re in the middle of a city?
That’s the specific brand of magic that Live at the Gardens has been conjuring since it launched in late 2024, and after wrapping its third season, the concert series has just dropped an absolute bombshell of a March 2026 lineup.
Live at the Gardens is heading into its fourth season with five shows featuring Bliss n Eso, Cut Copy, Leftfield, Marlon Williams, Sons of the East, Thelma Plum and so many more. The concert series, a collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens and MG Live, transforms the Observatory Precinct into an open-air music venue that somehow manages to feel both intimate and massive at the same time.
Live at the Gardens
- Friday 6 March: Marlon Williams with special guests Emma Donovan and Kee’ahn
- Saturday 7 March: Thelma Plum and Sons of the East with special guest Jem Cassar-Daley
- Sunday 8 March (public holiday eve in Victoria): Leftfield with special guests Paul Mac (DJ Set) and Late Nite Tuff Guy
- Friday 13 March: Cut Copy with special guests Todd Terje (DJ Set), CC:Disco!, Crazy P (DJ Set) and Colette
- Sunday 15 March: Bliss n Eso with special guests Drapht and Horrorshow
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The crooner from across the ditch
- Friday 6 March
- Marlon Williams with special guests Emma Donovan and Kee’ahn
New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams opens proceedings. The Lyttelton-based artist, of Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Tai descent, has earned five Aotearoa Music Awards and released his first te reo Māori album Te Whare Tīwekaweka in April 2025, featuring a collaboration with Lorde. Williams has toured with Bruce Springsteen and Florence + The Machine, and was personally cast by Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born after the actor heard his music on NPR.
Williams will be joined by two powerhouse First Nations artists. Emma Donovan, a Gumbaynggirr and Yamatji woman, is one of Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous soul and roots singers, while Kee’ahn, a Kuku Yalanji and Jirrbal artist from Far North Queensland, has been making waves with her blend of neo-soul, R&B and jazz.
Better in Blak meets Northern Beaches folk
- Saturday 7 March
- Thelma Plum and Sons of the East with special guest Jem Cassar-Daley
Sons of the East bring their acclaimed indie folk sound to the series alongside Gamilaraay singer-songwriter Thelma Plum. The Northern Beaches trio have amassed over 700 million streams and sold out venues from London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire to LA’s Troubadour. Plum’s debut album Better in Blak peaked at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart, with the title track reaching number nine in the Triple J Hottest 100 and marking the highest ranking for an Indigenous artist in the poll’s history at that time. She released her second studio album I’m Sorry, Now Say It Back in October 2024.
Supporting is Jem Cassar-Daley, daughter of country music icon Troy Cassar-Daley. The Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr artist has been carving out her own path in the Australian music scene with her soulful, genre-blending sound.
British bass legends on the long weekend
- Sunday 8 March (public holiday eve in Victoria)
- Leftfield with special guests Paul Mac (DJ Set) and Late Nite Tuff Guy
British electronic pioneers Leftfield bring serious dancefloor credentials to the public holiday eve slot. Formed in London in 1989, the group was instrumental in shaping UK electronic music throughout the 1990s, with Mixmag once describing them as “the single most influential production team working in British dance music.” Their debut album Leftism spent 136 weeks on the UK charts and earned a Mercury Prize nomination, while follow-up Rhythm and Stealth hit number one. Now led by Neil Barnes, the project continues to deliver those bone-rattling basslines the group became legendary for.
Leftfield’s support slot comes with serious local DJ credentials. Paul Mac, one half of ARIA Award-winning electronic duo Itch-E and Scratch-E and a former member of Stereogram, has been a fixture of the Australian electronic scene since the early 1990s. He’ll be joined by Late Nite Tuff Guy, the Melbourne-based producer and DJ known for his disco edits and re-works that have become dancefloor staples worldwide.
Disco under the stars
- Friday 13 March
- Cut Copy with special guests Todd Terje (DJ Set), CC:Disco!, Crazy P (DJ Set) and Colette
Cut Copy, the Melbourne synth-pop outfit formed in 2001, have spent over two decades refining their blend of disco, new wave and electronic pop. Their second album In Ghost Colours debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart in 2008, and the band’s Grammy-nominated, ARIA Award-winning catalogue has seen them perform over 1,000 sold-out headline shows across multiple continents.
They’ll be joined by Norwegian producer Todd Terje (DJ Set), dubbed the “king of summer jams” by Mixmag and responsible for floor-filling tracks like Inspector Norse. Melbourne’s CC:Disco! has become one of Australia’s most in-demand selectors, while acclaimed UK outfit Crazy P bring decades of disco-house experience.
Aussie hip hop closes it out
- Sunday 15 March
- Bliss n Eso with special guest Drapht
Bliss n Eso close out the series fresh off their Party on the Moon Tour supporting eighth studio album The Moon (The Light Side). The Sydney-based hip hop trio, formed in 2000, have notched three number one album debuts on the ARIA Charts and won two ARIA Awards, including Best Urban Release for Flying Colours in 2008 and Best Music Video for Moments in 2017. The group famously became the first Australian hip hop act to perform at Sound Relief in 2009, playing to 82,000 people at the MCG.
They’ll be joined by Perth hip hop stalwart Drapht, a mainstay of the Australian hip hop scene since the mid-2000s, with his 2011 album The Life of Riley debuting at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, and Sydney hip hop act Horrorshow, fixtures of the Australian hip hop scene since their 2008 debut The Grey Space. Presales begin Monday 8 December at 11am, with general tickets on sale Wednesday 10 December at 12pm via Ticketmaster.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Live at the Gardens.
