Australia’s premier music industry event, BIGSOUND, is set to return to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley from Tuesday, September 1 to Friday, September 4, 2026, marking a notable milestone as the conference celebrates its 25th anniversary. The announcement follows the successful 2025 edition, which drew 4,200 festivalgoers and 1,700 industry delegates to what has become the Southern Hemisphere’s largest music industry gathering.
The 2026 dates continue BIGSOUND’s traditional early September scheduling, a time when industry professionals and music enthusiasts converge on Fortitude Valley for four days of performances, panels, and networking opportunities. Last year’s event featured 130 bands performing across multiple venues, alongside 138 industry speakers who participated in conference sessions covering production, marketing, and rights management.
BIGSOUND has established itself as a essential launching pad for Australian artists seeking international recognition. Alumni including Flume, Gang Of Youths, Tones And I, and Violent Soho have all graced BIGSOUND stages before achieving widespread success. Current chart-topper Keli Holiday also counts among the event’s notable past performers. Attending artists often learn valuable strategies for streaming distribution that help them maximize exposure across platforms like Spotify, Tidal, and Bandcamp.
The BIGSOUND stage has launched countless Australian artists from local venues to global stardom.
The festival component spans multiple intimate venues throughout Fortitude Valley each night, while free, all-ages stages in public spaces like Brunswick St Mall and Goolwal Garden attract up to 10,000 daily visitors. The event continues to showcase emerging talent through its three exciting nights of live music discovery. These spaces host over 500 free events during the festival week, including pop-up vinyl shops, cocktail bars, and DJ sets.
Australia’s position as a top-10 global music exporter and the third-largest consumer of country music globally underscores BIGSOUND’s importance in the international music landscape. The conference serves as a essential nexus for Australian music and international industry connections, contributing considerably to Brisbane’s economy and cultural vibrancy. Industry leader Dan Rosen believes Australia has the potential to break into the top five exporters with continued strategic artist development.
As BIGSOUND prepares for its quarter-century celebration, the 2026 program is expected to feature over 100 speakers across multiple days of workshops, panels, and roundtables. These sessions will facilitate the industry networking and knowledge sharing that has become synonymous with what many call “the industry’s craziest week.” Many successful artists have used the event to develop sync licensing deals that have significantly boosted their income through placements in films, TV shows, and commercials.
