The regional festival that turned a '70s motel function room into one of Victoria's best music weekends is back for round 10.
There’s something deeply satisfying about the OK Motels series.
Just the idea of sweaty Melburnians trying to explain to their boss why they need the Monday off to recover from a music festival, held partly in a motel function room three hours up the Calder Highway.
It’s even better when that same festival has Sea Lake farmers playing pool with Fitzroy hipsters, a ceremony where you can legally (sort of) marry your mates, and a lineup that would make most capital city venues jealous.
OK Charlton returns to the small farming town of Charlton on 20 and 21 February 2026, bringing with it one of the festival’s biggest lineups yet. The 10th edition of OK Motels’ flagship event will see city slickers and country locals collide once again in the best possible way, with a bill stacked full of international drawcards and homegrown heavyweights.
OK Charlton
- 20 and 21 February 2026
- Charlton Motel, Charlton VIC
- Tickets on sale now via okmotels.com.au
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The legends, the locals and the left-of-centre
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Topping the lineup is Brighton punk duo Lambrini Girls, whose ferocious live shows and uncompromising debut album Who Let The Dogs Out earned them fans including Iggy Pop and a support slot with Amyl and the Sniffers. Joining them are Montreal dream pop outfit TOPS, who’ve spent over a decade crafting shimmering, ’80s-influenced pop and released their latest album Bury the Key in August 2025 on Ghostly International. Melbourne’s own Floodlights also feature, riding high after their third album Underneath cracked the ARIA Australian Albums Chart Top 5 earlier this year and earned them support slots for The Killers and Pavement.
Cosmic Psychos need little introduction to anyone familiar with Australian punk rock. Formed in 1982 and fronted by farmer Ross Knight, the band influenced everyone from Nirvana to Pearl Jam and remain as gloriously unpolished as ever. They’ll be bringing their fuzz-drenched chaos to both the main event and the festival’s pool party, which for the first time will feature live music on the Saturday afternoon.
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Melbourne’s Spike Fuck also joins the bill, returning from a three-year hiatus with a full band and a renewed creative vision. The artist’s self-coined “smackwave” sound blends new wave, post-punk and country music into something bruised, beautiful and entirely unique.
Meanwhile, Surf Coast musician Immy Owusu brings his “Afrodelik” sound, a fusion of psychedelia, Zamrock and West African highlife that earned him Music Victoria’s 2023 Best Musician award. Owusu studied under his grandfather, legendary Ghanaian palm wine highlife musician Koo Nimo, and his live band is known for getting crowds moving.
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Frenzee are Melbourne-born, Crete-raised siblings who channel AC/DC and Bikini Kill into something wonderfully unhinged. Harmony pair downbeat punk with three soaring female vocalists, The Pretty Littles do gritty garage rock, and Adelaide’s The Empty Threats won Best Live Act at the 2023 National Live Music Awards thanks to their chaotic post-punk and yes, electric clarinet.
Swapmeet bring dreamy Adelaide vibes, James Range Band sing in Pitjantjatjara and English from their home in Utju, and Palm Springs is Tropical Fuck Storm’s Erica Dunn going solo. Sunny Morris is a Melbourne trans folk artist and poet, while Xylourides is Frenzee’s Cretan folk alter ego – same siblings, completely different vibe, traditional music handed down from their legendary grandfather Psarantonis. Yordja rounds out the bill!
More than just a music festival
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What sets OK Charlton apart from your average festival is the way it weaves itself into the fabric of the town. Founded by photographer Kate Berry in 2018, the event began as a one-night party in the Charlton Motel’s ’70s function room and has grown into a full-town takeover that sees locals and blow-ins share meals, play pool together and genuinely connect.
This year’s pool party will be soundtracked by Cosmic Psychos, James Range Band and The Pretty Littles, alongside the return of Tell Your Friends You Love Them with Friend Songs and Dedications, the OK Tuck Shop serving mixed lollies and salad rolls, and the Charlton Youth Group’s ice cream sundaes.
Food options have expanded significantly for the 10th edition. Fitzroy favourites Tortas and Tacos will operate out of the Charlton Motel function room for dinner and late-night snacks, while local legend Kim Yap will run a pop-up serving Chinese dumplings with a portion of profits going to the Dux of Charlton College to support local students’ further education.
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The beloved Marry Your Friends ceremony returns, with newlyweds and their wedding band parading through town before rattling “Just Married” cans from farmer Bill’s flatbed truck. The Charlton Club transforms into the official OK Clubhouse, hosting a live set from Palm Springs alongside karaoke, board games, bloody marys and party pies. Win and Ian from Charlton Vintage are opening their backyard for a veggie-garden set by Xylourides, complete with Greek BBQ and an ouzo bar. Rochester’s Disco Rodeo will take over the Charlton Motel car park with sunkissed line dancing.
For those without wheels, a shuttle will run from the Union Hotel in Fitzroy on Friday morning, with another shuttle from Wedderburn for those staying outside Charlton.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with OK Charlton.
