The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the ARIA Awards this year, today announcing the first plans to celebrate the milestone.
Established in 1987, the ARIA Awards have continuously represented Australian artists, creators, and industry leaders for their talent, innovation, and cultural significance – both at home and on the global stage.
To mark the milestone, ARIA will host a special ARIA Hall of Fame anniversary event on Thursday, 11 June, at Carriageworks in Sydney. The one-off event will be presented in partnership with Sound NSW and feature six artists selected by the ARIA Board to be inducted into this year’s ARIA Hall of Fame.
The event will spotlight some of Australia’s most popular and influential musical figures of the past 40 years, including Hall of Fame inductees AC/DC, You Am I, Missy Higgins, Tina Arena, Molly Meldrum, INXS, Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Archie Roach, and many others.
After that landmark event, the 2026 ARIA Awards will return on Wednesday, 18 November, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
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Presented in partnership with Spotify, the forthcoming awards night will celebrate Australian music, not just for the artists and industry in Sydney, but also air on Channel 10 and be streamed live on Paramount+.
Additional information about the ARIA Awards’ 40th anniversary celebrations and this year’s awards will be revealed in the coming months. You can register here for more details and ticketing for the 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame event.
“Reaching 40 years of the ARIA Awards is a powerful moment to reflect on just how deeply Australian music is woven into our story,” remarked ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “The 2026 ARIA Hall of Fame anniversary event gives us the chance to properly honour the artists and industry figures whose work has shaped generations, while the 2026 ARIA Awards will continue that story by championing the next wave of Australian talent on an increasingly global stage.
“This milestone is about legacy, but it’s also about backing where Australian music is going next. We can’t wait for what 2026 will bring.”
Last year’s ARIA Awards spotlighted both iconic and rising stars in Australian music. Amyl And The Sniffers dominated the evening, taking home the coveted Album of the Year award for Cartoon Darkness, while the ceremony’s most-nominated artist, Ninajirachi, also experienced a standout awards night.
In addition to awards decided by the ARIA Board, nearly 700,000 fans submitted votes via the ARIA website and Spotify, resulting in a record high in audience engagement for ARIA. The ceremony featured a performance by triple j Hottest 100 winner Olivia Dean and honoured Hall of Fame inductees You Am I, among other spectacular moments.
