ARIA Awards Reintroduce Best Music Festival Category for 2026

On September 7, 2026, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced that the Best Music Festival award will return for a second year. The category, first presented at the 2025 ARIA Awards, was created to recognise festivals that give Australian artists a meaningful place on their line‑ups.

According to the ARIA announcement, eligible festivals must either feature an Australian headline act or have a line‑up that is at least 50 % Australian. In addition, the event must be a member of the Australian Festival Association (AFA) and must have taken place in Australia during the eligibility period of 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. Entries for the 2026 award open on the day of the announcement and close on 18 September.

The award was introduced in 2025 as part of a broader effort to highlight the role of festivals in Australia’s live music industry. Laneway Festival became the inaugural winner, taking the gong over a field of nominees that included Ability Fest, Beyond the Valley, Bluesfest Byron Bay and Yours & Owls Festival. The win was celebrated by Laneway co‑founder Danny Rogers, who accepted the award on behalf of the festival’s organising team.

The 2026 ARIA Awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday 18 November at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, a venue that has hosted the awards for six consecutive years. The event will also mark the 40th anniversary of the ARIA Awards. The ceremony will be streamed live on Paramount+ and later broadcast on Channel 10, with production handled by Roving Enterprises.

The Best Music Festival category is expected to attract a range of entries from festivals that have built reputations for supporting local talent. The AFA membership requirement underscores the industry’s focus on best practice and sustainability, as the association represents a broad spectrum of festival promoters and organisers across the country.

The ARIA Awards have historically included a mix of genre‑specific, fine‑arts and artisan categories, but the Best Music Festival award is the first category dedicated solely to live‑event organisers. Its return signals ARIA’s continued commitment to recognising the economic and cultural impact of festivals on the Australian music ecosystem.

Festival organisers who wish to submit an entry must provide documentation that demonstrates compliance with the eligibility criteria, including headliner information, line‑up details and proof of AFA membership. The ARIA website lists the submission guidelines and the deadline for entries.

While the award’s criteria focus on Australian representation, the category does not restrict the overall scale of the festival. Past nominees have ranged from small, niche events to large, multi‑day festivals that attract international audiences.

The 2026 ceremony will also feature other high‑profile awards, including the Artist of the Year and Album of the Year categories. The awards are presented by a panel of industry professionals and are considered a key indicator of success for Australian musicians and industry stakeholders.

In summary, the ARIA Awards’ decision to bring back the Best Music Festival category for 2026 reinforces the organisation’s support for festivals that champion Australian talent. Eligible festivals have until 18 September to submit their entries, and the winner will be announced at the 40th‑anniversary ceremony in November.