Melbourne's beloved grassroots mini festival is dusting itself off for another round, and this time it's bringing eight local acts to one of Richmond's favourite pubs.
Kick On Fest is returning to The Leadbeater Hotel this July, once again flying the flag for Melbourne’s homegrown music scene with a lineup that spans styles and showcases the kind of talent you won’t find on a mainstream festival poster.
The 2026 edition features The Carp Factory, Arabella & The Heist, The Salmon Sisters, Dolls, Billy Cart, Mudbath, Cass Aware and Fur Blossom; eight acts keeping it local, loud and very much alive.
Kick On Fest
- When: 18 July, from 5pm
- Where: The Leadbeater Hotel, Richmond
- Tickets here
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Kick On Fest is the brainchild of Sarah Gorozidis, founder of Kick On Entertainment, who launched the whole thing back in July 2024 with a debut event that pulled in 200 punters and a whole lot of goodwill.
The idea behind it is simple but important: create a genuine platform for Melbourne’s local music community; not just the artists on stage, but the sound engineers, photographers, graphic designers and emerging industry crew who make live music tick.
Since then, the festival has grown into a proper annual fixture, with last year’s edition packing out The Leadbeater with ten acts and a mystery secret performer that kept fans guessing right up until showtime. This year’s lineup is tighter, but the spirit is exactly the same; a celebration of creative culture that puts local talent front and centre.
If you’ve been meaning to get out and support the Melbourne music scene, this is a pretty easy excuse to do it.
Eight acts, one pub, one night…can’t ask for much more than that.
For more information, head here.
