‘Festivals are back’: Bluesfest confirms 2026 return

The 2026 edition of Byron Bay Bluesfest has been confirmed after organiser Peter Noble performed a U-turn on the fate of the Australian institution.

In August last year, Noble said the “final curtain call” would take place from 17–20 April 2025 and expressed his concerns for Australia’s beleaguered festival sector.

Four months later, organiser Noble told IQ that his clarion call was largely a ploy to attract the attention of the New South Wales state government, which he says declined to invest in Bluesfest during a difficult time for the economy.

This year’s event concluded on Sunday with 112,000 attendances, which Noble says is the third-biggest Bluefest and the highest attendance of any Australian festival since pre-COVID.

“We’re the top-selling festival in the country, and we’ve worked…

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