BozzFest 2026 lands at the Leadbeater Hotel for one night of loud guitars, metal covers and Bozzie's 60th.
BozzFest 2026 is turning Dean “Bozzie” Boswell’s 60th into a full hard rock reunion at the Leadbeater Hotel.
For 13 years Back In The Day was Melbourne’s home for big riffs and late finishes, running from 2003 until the regular nights wrapped in 2016. The crowd never really scattered, so BozzFest 2026 hauls them back into one room on 29 August to mark the milestone properly.
BozzFest 2026
- BozzFest 2026, the Leadbeater Hotel, 1 Church Street, Richmond
- 29 August, 5pm β 1am
- Tickets $45 plus booking fee via Oztix, or $50 on the door unless sold out
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Leading the bill are hard rock veterans The Poor, in town for their only Melbourne show, alongside fellow Sydney outfit Heaven, who bring a special Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath set among their own catalogue. Willie J’s 6V6s and Riff Raff round out the live acts, the latter tearing through a Bon Scott era AC/DC show.
Resident selectors Andrew Haug, Turtle Rox and Bozzie himself hold down the decks between bands, so there’s no real gap in the hair metal and hard rock hits across the night.
The Poor and Heaven are back
The Poor have earned their standing the hard way, having toured Australia and the United States with AC/DC on the Ballbreaker run, plus stints alongside Scorpions, Van Halen and KISS. Their reputation rests on loud, sweaty sets that have kept Australian hard rock audiences onside for decades.
Heaven were around when local heavy metal was still finding its shape, sharing stages with KISS, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and MΓΆtley CrΓΌe. Back In The Day hosted the band’s 2010 reunion tour, and with Heaven now bound for Japan later in the year, a return to the fold made sense.
There’s an extra reason to lock in a ticket beyond the lineup and the birthday. Every purchase goes into a draw to win a double pass to Guns N’ Roses at Marvel Stadium later this year, courtesy of Live Nation and valued at $600. Doors open at 5pm and the night runs through to 1am, with the venue sitting on the corner of Victoria and Church Street in Richmond.
For more information, head here.
