Gum Ball 2026 Lineup Expands!

Last year’s 20th anniversary was officially the biggest festival ever held at Dashville. A bumper community of music lovers rolling up to the Lower Belford site, to prove that The Gum Ball, this humble little festival in the bush, has very much become a cultural institution for regional NSW.

And so now here we are in 2026, with The Gum Ball gearing up to celebrate a very special 21st birthday, returning to Dashville over the ANZAC long weekend of 24th, 25th & 26th April 2026.

Today the festival announces another dozen acts, who’ll be taking the trip to the majestic bushland of Wonnarua Country, to join in on what will no doubt be a party like no other.

Once again, Dashville’s programming department have gone deep into the void, feeling out the vibrations, honouring every future moment, building the journey from deep within the chasms of bubbling consideration.

Barely surviving this treacherous journey, it is now all yours to enjoy.

Joining the existing line-up, which features leading acts King Stingray, Don Walker, Meg Washington, Kingswood, These New South Whales, William Crighton, The Vasco Era and Jazz Party…

Please welcome Australian icon Christine Anu, bringing the big sing-alongs to the dance floor on Friday night. Pinky Beecroft, the mystical lead singer from Machine Gun Fellatio will present his new album, as will Sydney folk-jazz multi-instrumentalist Little Green. We’re stoked to welcome the incredible global psychedelic zamrock sounds of Immy Owusu. Newcastle country folk legends Bob Corbett & The Roo Grass Band make their long-awaited debut, as do Central Coast troubadour Joel Leggett and Sydney’s new disco rock lords Jay Squire & The Loveliners.

We welcome back Gum Ball’s favourite rascal duo Burger Joint, also brothers of solid rock Marvell, and Tasmanian cinematic rock band Holiday Mystics. Inbound from Alice Springs Gleny Rae delivers her new album via the big band, The Country Ace Soul Band. Riverina bluesman Col Ray Price will show us his booty swingin’ new project The Nundle Five. Psych rockers Apocalypse Joe & The Coyote crawl out from the Bellinger River and we welcome from somewhere out in gypsy lands of Victoria the reputable party band Ungus Ungus Ungus.

Other local acts making their debut include alt-rock quartet Kev Sev and young emerging folk artist Izzy Maeve & The Wizards.

Then there’s this extra special moment that the Dashville team have cooked up, an ANZAC morning ‘Tribute to the Diggers’ led by authentic Australian balladeer William Alexander.

Oh, and let’s not forget the one and only Dashville Progress Society, this star-studded local conglomerate will return with a very special show for your Sunday evening.

Add all that to the previously announced acts and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine musical journey. Offering a mix of well-established acts and emerging talent, The Gum Ball Festival is trademarked as a place of discovery and excitement. It’s easy to see why it’s earned its reputation as a haven to enjoy some of the best live music available on the planet.

Handpicked for your aural pleasure, The Gum Ball brings around forty musical acts together from all corners of globe, in 2026 it’s purely Australian.

Like any previous Gum Ball music program, you can expect a fantastic sonic journey across a myriad of genres, styles and unforgettable moments. Soon the festival will release the full program of other things, which will include a myriad of activities, presentations and workshops for young and young at heart.

The full 2026 line up is as follows:

Plus the optional Thursday Night 23rd, Warm Up Show, featuring:

JORDIE LANE BAND | EMILY LUBITZ | NORWOOD

In a full circle moment, some Gum Ballers may recognise the 21st Bday headliner as the relatively unknown band that blew us all away at Gum Ball 2022!

Yolŋu surf rockers King Stingray, will bring their blend of raucous rock’n’roll and ancient Indigenous songlines all the way from Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. King Stingray’s 2022 debut album, earned them five ARIA nominations, taking out the Breakthrough Artist Award, they also took out the Australian Music Prize and won Album of the Year and Best Independent Rock Album at the 2023 AIR Awards. This year also saw them win an APRA Award for ‘Most Performed Rock Work’.

The band will return to play the boutique festival in 2026, for what is essentially a kind gesture and a perfect example of high-profile acts giving back to the grassroots of where they developed.

Other leading acts in this first announcement include platinum-selling and ARIA Award-winning, genre-defying musician Meg Washington, who most recently just won Best Original Soundtrack at the 2025 Aria’s for her co-written and co-produced film How to Make Gravy. Meg’s fifth studio album GEM, released earlier this year marks a new realm for the prolific artist.

Dashville is honoured to welcome Australian music royalty, Don Walker and his band to The Gum Ball. Don has had an extensive career, as a founding member of the band Cold Chisel, he wrote most of the hits, including Khe San, Flame Trees and Cheap Wine. An incredible writer, his first book, “Shots”, was published in 2009 and his most recent album, Lightning In A Clear Blue Sky, was released in 2023.

Christine Anu is one of Australia’s most popular recording artists and performers of all time, who uses her voice and reputation to spread a message of unity and hope. With 17 ARIA nominations, including the APRA AMCOS award-winning My Island Home and her platinum album Stylin’ Up, she has one of the country’s most enduring and recognisable voices.

With the additional prelude concert featuring Jordie Lane, Emily Lubitz and Norwoodon Thursday 23rd April, you can rest assured The Gum Ball is everything its reputation stands for. An incredible live music escape, designed for all ages and inclinations, with a myriad of additional action to wander into, this is one of the best laid-back multi-genre festivals in existence.

The festival’s survival is a remarkable tip of the hat to the community that abounds this cultural institution and as the music industry becomes increasingly overcome by big business and artificial intelligence, we recognise that community festivals such as The Gum Ball are as crucial as ever. A place for true human connections, fond memories and most importantly, audience development for both the local and nationwide grassroots music scene.

The line-ups Dashville put forward are altering the dynamic of what most music festivals tend to rely on. A festival run by musicians for musicians, a safe place for people of all ages to discover new music and build audiences amongst a growing community of music lovers who travel from all across Australia to attend.

There are a few things that separate The Gum Ball from other festivals. Run by a small team of music lovers on their family property, there is a certain charm to its existence, one which has allowed the boutique festival to slowly become one of Australia’s most cherished cultural escapes, with something on offer for anyone with a penchant for live music.

The stunning natural bushland setting of Dashville provides an unforgettable home away from home, with its iconic event, The Gum Ball, serving as the highlight of the year. This welcoming and inclusive festival offers a relaxed experience that brings together music lovers of all ages and backgrounds.

This welcoming and inclusive festival offers a relaxed experience that brings together music lovers of all ages and backgrounds. Don’t miss an incredible weekend of live music, art, comedy, pro skateboarding, a Silent Disco, markets, workshops, camping and more.

ABOUT DASHVILLE

A lot has happened since that clear crisp morning in 2004, when an enthusiastic young Matt ‘Magpie Johnston, fresh from a solo around-the-world adventure, sat at the foot of his parents’ bed asking for permission to host a festival in the front yard of his family property.

It’s a story of triumph through adversity, as Kev Carmody wrote, ‘from little things big things grow’, so with a vision in sight and the blinkers on, a twenty year old music enthusiast set about his goal to create a festival with the catch phrase ‘enjoy music the way nature intended’. With the support of friends and family Magpie pushed through some pretty full-on physical, mental and financial hurdles, through passion, tenacity and DIY doggedness, to build not only a festival, but also a supreme place of gathering.

Dashville, aptly named in 2008 in respect of Johnston’s father Dash, is an incredible space, a 3000-capacity live music venue and campground, which harnesses the natural landscape, flourishing through age-old permaculture principles, to provide something truly amazing and wholesome for the music loving community.

The music-loving community has a deep affection for Dashville, and with the diverse and carefully curated lineups the Dashville team presents year after year, it’s easy to see why it’s earned its reputation as a haven for passionate music fans. Offering a mix of well-established acts and emerging talent, The Gum Ball Festival is a place of discovery and excitement. Past lineups have included big names like Mudhoney (US), Hoodoo Gurus, The Herd, Sampa The Great, Ben Lee, You Am I, Tex Perkins and Baby Animals, as well as emerging artists – some of who would go on to achieve global recognition such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Kim Churchill, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, The Preatures and more. With around 40 artists, both local and international, performing one after another in the intimate setting of the bushland amphitheatre, Dashville consistently delivers an experience beyond expectations.