Echuca's about to get loud again — and this time there's 20 acts on the bill already.
Winter Blues Festival is heading back to Echuca-Moama in July for another four-day run of blues and roots across the Murray Region. Organisers have just revealed the first artist announcement for the 2026 edition, with 20 acts locked in so far.
Winter Blues Festival has become something of a ritual for Australian blues and roots fans, turning the twin towns into a wall-to-wall live music destination every winter. Venues, streets and the riverfront all get taken over for what’s grown into one of the country’s most well-regarded grassroots music gatherings.
Winter Blues Festival 2026
- 23–26 July – Echuca-Moama (various venues)
First artist announcement
- 19 Twenty
- Cam Walter Blues
- Cass Eager
- Eddy and the Exciters
- Elly Poletti
- Frank Sultana Blues Band
- Geoff Achison and The Souldiggers
- The Honey Badgers
- Jack and The Axes
- Jesse Redwing
- Jesse Valach & The Testaments
- Kathleen Halloran
- Liza Ohlback & The Mercy Train
- Nathan Cavaleri
- Oscar LaDell
- Otis Namrell Band
- Ray Beadle
- Sam Buckley Band
- Sammy Owen Blues Band
- Sweet Felicia and The Honeytones
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
The first lineup drop features a mix of seasoned heavy-hitters and rising talent. Nathan Cavaleri, Ray Beadle, Geoff Achison and The Souldiggers, Frank Sultana Blues Band and Sweet Felicia and The Honeytones all feature among the veterans, while Jack and The Axes, Elly Poletti, Kathleen Halloran and Otis Namrell Band represent the newer guard. Perennial favourites 19 Twenty return for what will be their 11th appearance at the festival.
The festival also plays a significant role in the regional economy during the quieter winter tourism season. Local accommodation, hospitality venues and retailers all benefit from the influx of visitors, while the event creates employment across production, events and hospitality. For artists, it offers valuable performance slots and increased national exposure, particularly for emerging talent on the Australian blues and roots circuit.
Organisers have flagged that a second lineup announcement is on the way, so expect more names to be added before July rolls around. With 2026 marking the festival’s fifth year under current music programmer Jon Howell, the lineup is shaping up to cover a broad cross-section of what the Australian blues and roots scene has to offer.
For more information, head here.
