Sugarbush Open Air is back for round two this February at Abbotsford Convent, bringing bigger production and deeper sounds.
Built around sound, space and community, Sugarbush Open Air 2026 lands at Abbotsford Convent with a refined open-air setup that spans the city’s underground electronic scene and pushes well beyond it.
Curated by Sugarbush Creative and Tjum Tjumba in partnership with Happen Group, this First Nations-driven event puts creative integrity front and centre through forward-thinking dance music, considered art direction and stage design that reflects genuine cultural vision.
Production scope has expanded for this second edition, with a lineup that bridges local sounds and international energy across a variety of music on the convent’s Mercator Lawn.
Even better – all proceeds this year will go towards funding the art and music therapy program at Bunjilwarra – a residential rehabilitation and healing service for young Aboriginal people aged between 16 and 25 years. The program will be facilitated by Deadly Djab & Tjum Tjumba, and is built around songwriting, music production and recording.
Sugarbush Open Air 2026
- When: Saturday 7 February
- Where: Mercator Lawn, Abbotsford Convent
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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Andy Hart
Melbourne-born Andy Hart has been deep in electronic music for over 15 years, moving between house, disco and techno with a focus on groove and musical depth. He’s built a reputation as a selector who knows how to balance warmth with restraint, keeping things locked to the floor without losing any delicious energy. Co-founding Melbourne Deepcast helped put a spotlight on local and international talent while documenting the city’s underground scene, and his vinyl label Voyage continues that work with a dance-driven focus on contemporary club sounds. Years spent living in Berlin immersed him in the city’s club culture and built connections that still influence his sets and productions today, blending Melbourne sensibility with Berlin’s club-first mentality.
DJ PGZ
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Gunai/Kurnai and Yorta Yorta artist DJ PGZ is carving out bold new territory in Australian dance music. His sound draws from underground club cultures around the world while honouring the Black and brown pioneers who built dance music, creating space for the next wave of First Nations artists in the process. Expect hard techno, bass-heavy rhythms and global club styles that live in the sweet spot between total control and letting loose. He’s become a staple across the festival circuit, holding down stages everywhere from Meredith to Dekmantel Naarm, with international sets in Singapore and Hanoi. His event series and label Ecstatic Mob has been throwing some of the city’s best nights, building a home for his artistic community.
DJ Sarah
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Starting out in Naarm, DJ Sarah has become one of the city’s most beloved selectors and a key figure in building the local dance music community into what it is today. She calls herself an international woman of mystery and splits her time between Melbourne, London and the occasional Berlin stint. She’s toured extensively through some of the world’s best clubs and festivals, releasing self-produced music on respected labels like Fabric, Dansu Discs and Method808. She’s shared studios and stages with Papa Nugs, Confidence Man and Spray, bringing a sharp ear for detail and a fearless approach to both production and DJing. Her sound pulls from early memories of 2010s tech house, house and electro, expanded through time in European techno clubs and a deepening love for breaks, jungle and bass. Beyond the booth, she’s all about community, running initiatives like WIP Project and annual DJ101 workshops that have launched over 50 female, trans and non-binary DJs into the scene.
JOVE
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JOVE pulls from 90s house and disco to create high-energy sets packed with feel-good grooves and driving rhythms. His approach to classic club sounds keeps things firmly on the dancefloor, backed by solid technical chops in both production and DJing. He’s a regular at Naarm spots Glamorama and New Guernica and has built a strong reputation interstate for reading rooms and keeping momentum tight from first track to last. Productions like News Flash and Victory Lap have become catalogue highlights, alongside club edits that have picked up international support from selectors like Young Marco, Job Jobse and Bad Boombox. Every set has the same aim: keep people moving and the energy pushing forward.
Naycab
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Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta writer and DJ Naycab brings a narrative approach to their sets, shaped by a background in screenwriting and essays. Their approach is about building story and connection, honouring the relationship between performer and community. Blending techno, house and acid while championing Black and queer producers, they’ve got an ear for the playful and unexpected, digging through archives to pay respect to dance music history. Sets are fun, surprising and responsive, taking the energy exactly where it needs to go. They’ve supported international acts like INVT, Jyoty and Saliah, plus local heavyweights including Dameeela, DJ PGZ, Bertie and Sleep D.
Pjenné
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Naarm-based DJ, radio broadcaster, curator and label manager Pjenné is your gateway to leftfield ambient, dance and electronica from Melbourne and beyond. Her academic background brings a thoughtful, detailed approach to everything she does. While her style shifts across forms, psychedelic sounds from the southern bush find their way into her mixes, with trance, progressive and hypnotic selections landing her spots at festivals like Inner Varnika, Strawberry Fields and Golden Plains, plus international club sets and contributions to platforms like INVEINS, Sure Thing, Oddyssy and Harmony Rec. She’s equally skilled in intimate settings, weaving IDM, cerebral and downtempo into brain-massaging narratives that show off her selector chops.
pvrtal
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Proud Gunai, Yorta Yorta and Waywurru artist pvrtal, pronounced portal, aka Harley James, brings sets that move fast and hit hard, threading through hard house, trance, hardgroove and UKG with tightly locked rhythms and percussive weight. Drawing influence from KETTAMA, Interplanetary Criminal, X-CLUB and Newtone, his groove-driven sound lives somewhere between late-night intensity and melodic lift. He’s a regular at spots like turbo422, Glamorama and Revolver Upstairs. Beyond closing out Sugarbush Open Air 2025, pvrtal plays a crucial role in the festival’s branding, programming and production through Sugarbush Creative, helping build one of the few First Nations-led dance events in the country while pushing for stronger Blak representation across clubs, labels and lineups.
TREY
Proud Pakana producer and DJ TREY was born in Lutruwita and is now based in Naarm, flowing seamlessly between garage, tech house and hard house. His mission centres on bringing community, energy and unity to the dancefloor, leaving a lasting impression that sticks around long after the last track. He’s supported heavyweights like 6SENSE, Luke Alessi and KILLJOY with selections that are both eclectic and unforgettable.
Sugarbush 2026
Sugarbush Open Air 2026 offers a full day of music that honours dance music’s roots while pushing its future forward.
It’s a spectacular chance to experience a First Nations-led festival vision that prioritises community, culture and the dancefloor in equal measure.
For more information, head here.
