Some of the best moments in live music happen long before the headline act takes the stage: the first gig, the first crowd singalong, the first time you discover a new artist right in front of your eyes.
With SUPAGLOO, Frontier Touring and Melbourne Park are creating a safe space for a new generation to experience those moments with an affordable, all-ages event series.
With a very reasonable ticket price, line-ups stacked with Australia’s most exciting emerging artists, and dates specifically built around school holidays, the new all-ages concert series is making a serious case for getting off the algorithm and discovering live music the old fashioned way: by showing up.
For Bonnie Dalton, General Manager of events at Frontier Touring, that’s exactly the point. The series is about far more than putting on a few gigs and seeing who shows up.
It’s about intentionally creating a space where young people can discover their next favourite artist, meet other fans and build a relationship with live music that lasts beyond a single night, all in one of Australia’s most iconic music venues – Melbourne Park’s Margaret Court Arena.
The idea has been floating around Frontier Touring and Melbourne Park separately for some time, but it started gaining serious momentum earlier this year when the two joined forces.
By mid-year, conversations had moved things forward, with the team keen to get the first event off the ground before the end of 2026.
Dalton, who joined the project around eight weeks before she speaks to The Music, says the concept came from a shared desire to connect artists and audiences, particularly at a time when emerging Aussie acts might struggle to break through, and live music doesn’t feel as achievable for young fans.
“Someone put it to me really beautifully. They said, ‘Oh wow, so this is for discovery off the algorithm,'” she says. “I really loved that idea.
"The plan is that SUPAGLOO will be built into a trusted brand that young people in particular can come to and know that even if you don’t know the artists, you’re going to love them and you’re going to have a good time, and you might just find your next favourite thing.”
It’s a pretty simple idea, but one that gets to the heart of a bigger conversation about how young audiences engage with music. With music discovery at our fingertips, finding an artist online doesn’t even begin to compare to experiencing them in a room full of eager fans.
SUPAGLOO aims to bridge that gap, making live music feel like something young people can participate in, instead of something they might grow into later.
The first two events are set to take place at Margaret Court Arena, using the venue’s more intimate band-room format. It’s a setting that offers the scale and infrastructure of a major entertainment venue while keeping the experience close to the stage, with room to grow as the series develops.
The inaugural event on Thursday, December 10th, is timed to coincide with the end of year celebration for Year 10s and up, giving students an opportunity to mark the end of the school year with a proper night out.
The series is also designed with the practicalities of being a younger gig-goer in mind – there’s plenty of places for parents to hang out while they wait around, allowing young attendees to enjoy a degree of independence without being too far from home base.
While these details might seem small, they’re part of a bigger picture.
“There’s lots of barriers that are not just about the price or which artist is playing,” Dalton says. “There’s lots and lots of things that make it tricky for young people to get connected to live music.”
Cost, transport, timing, confidence, and whether a show feels welcoming can all play a role. SUPAGLOO is attempting to tackle these barriers all at once, while creating an event that will hopefully become a regular fixture for its audience.
The aim is to build a community around the series, where fans return for future editions and start recognising familiar faces in the crowd.
“We’re really hoping that it might be something where you make some gig buddies who you see at every SUPAGLOO,” Dalton says.
However, it’s one thing to put on the show, but another thing entirely to get people through the doors. The marketing strategy is deliberately looking beyond the usual music media and fan channels, with the team exploring ways to connect with young people who may not even identify as music fans yet.
One example is APRA AMCOS’ Songmakers Program, which connects with around 1500 high school songwriters across Victoria. SUPAGLOO has been working with the program to spread the word, while also looking at opportunities to reach young people through sporting clubs.
The thinking is that not every future gig-goer is already following triple j, keeping tabs on new releases or scrolling through artist announcements. Some might simply need the right introduction.
“We feel like if we can reach more people, then there’s more of a chance of actually bringing them together and finding out that maybe they were live music-curious,” Dalton says.
For those who are already-well versed in the local scene, the first two line-ups offer plenty of reasons to get involved.
The December edition brings together alt pop duo 2charm, Melbourne power pop trio Blusher, and emerging artist Robert Baxter, with triple j Breakfast hosts Abby and Tyrone jumping behind the decks for a DJ set.
It’s a bill that’s definitely built around high-energy pop, club sounds, and artists whose live shows are just as much about the atmosphere as the music.
The second event takes place on Friday, April 2nd, 2027, and shifts the focus more towards Australian R&B, with Ballarat-born Larissa Lambert making a rare Melbourne appearance to perform music from her debut album, Yearning. She’ll be joined by ZIPPORAH, and Naarm-based Filipina-Chilena DJ 1SA.
More events are already in the works, with school holiday dates earmarked for July and October 2027. Dalton is clear that the intention is to build SUPAGLOO over time, rather than judge its future on the success of the first few shows.
"We know that things can take a little while to build," she says. "It's not a case of ‘If this doesn't blow everyone out of the water, then it's over.’ We're committed to doing this and committed to doing it over time."
This long-term approach also extends to the artists themselves. While the line-ups have already attracted interest from overseas agents and promoters, Dalton explains that the decision to keep the programming focused on Australian talent is deliberate.
For her, supporting the local music ecosystem means more than simply giving emerging acts a spot on a bill. It means helping develop the audiences who will show up for those artists, follow their careers and support them as they grow.
"The ecosystem relies on that dialogue between artists and audiences," she says. "And I think the fact that those first two line-ups are really world class and they're sourced from Australia, and from Victoria…this is really about actually celebrating the artists that are here."
It’s also a great opportunity to challenge the idea that local acts need an international headliner to convince audiences to buy a ticket. The artists on SUPAGLOO’s first two bills are already making waves at home and overseas, and the series wants younger fans to discover them on their own terms.
"We're not shying away from that. We're not feeling like we need to get an international headliner to lure people along," Dalton says. "These artists are absolutely world class."
Ultimately, SUPAGLOO is betting on the idea that a great gig can do more than provide a single fun night out. It can introduce someone to a band they'll follow for years, help them find their people or turn a passing interest in music into something much bigger.
Though the focus for SUPAGLOO is on the younger generation, being an all-ages event means everyone is welcome.
At the heart and soul of this event is a team who cares about bridging the gap between audiences and artists, and the first step might start with a cheap ticket, a school-holiday date and a line-up they might have never seen before.
If SUPAGLOO can turn this into a habit, the benefits could stretch far beyond Margaret Court Arena, helping to build a new generation of Australian music audiences alongside the artists they’re there to discover.
Tickets to SUPAGLOO's inaugural events are on sale now.
SUPAGLOO At Melbourne Park
Thursday, December 10th, 2026 – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, VIC
2charm
Blusher
Robert Baxter
Abby & Tyrone (DJ Set)
Friday, April 2nd, 2027 – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, VIC
Larissa Lambert
Zipporah
DJ 1SA
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
