This fortnight’s round up had some positive news for Australian venues and the Australian live sector.
Leading the list was Pollstar’s annual Australian and New Zealand Spotlight, which showed huge ticket sales and grosses for venues, and the Top 6 promoters jointly turning over $1.41 billion.
Elsewhere, venues as Village Green and Mojo’s are making moves to expand attendance, Adelaide’s Hindley Street strip is getting a $50 million makeover, two options are offered for Canberra Stadium, and the Gympie Muster funding is extended to 2029, and a new surf & music festival arrives in Sydney.
Meantime, Ticketmaster is in hot water over Oasis tickets, while a shooting at a Switzerland rave left one patron dead.
Pollstar Figures Show Aussie Venues, Promoters In Top Multi-Billion Form
Pollstar’s 2026 Australian and New Zealand special, launched at BIGSOUND Brisbane, showed the Australian live sector is gunning on top speed.
The Top 5 stadiums sold 1.51 million tickets and grossed US$226.9 million. The best performer was Sydney’s Accor Stadium, followed by Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane; Marvel Stadium, Melbourne; ENGIE Stadium, Sydney; and Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne.
Arenas were more active, with the Top 5 Australian ones selling 2.37 million tix and grossing over $242 million. The best performer in this category was Afterpay Arena in Sydney, which pulled ahead of Brisbane Entertainment Centre, RAC Arena, Perth; Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne; and Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The Top 5 of clubs drew 574,516 punters through their doors and brought in an impressive $30.4 million in takings. If there was an indication that Melbourne is the national live capital, the top performers came from here – The Forum, Northcote Theatre, 170 Russell, The Wool Store, and The Corner Hotel.
The foremost five of theatres had 538,566 attendees and grossed $41 million. Brisbane did well through Fortitude Music Hall (#1) and The Tivoli (#5). Sydney was at #2 with Enmore Theatre and #3 with TikTok Entertainment Centre. Melbourne’s Palais Theatre ranked #4.
The four amphitheatres grossed $26.5 million from 7.68 million patrons. Most active was the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, after which were Brisbane’s Riverstage, Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre in Fremantle, and Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre.
Ed Sheeran was the most successful touring artist, playing to 754,050 and raking over US$98.6 million.
Lady Gaga grossed $61.7 million from 318,996 Little Monsters. AC/DC generated $50,378,826 and a total crowd draw of 452,979.
Laneway/Chappel Roan had its best numbers, of 200,151 and $33,244,524 worth of business. Tyler, The Creator had a strong turnout, with 171,152 fans and total income of $21,896,511.
Other Australians generating on-the-road mojo included RÜFÜS DU SOL, Hilltop Hoods, Keith Urban, Paul Kelly, Genesis Owusu, and Dom Dolla.
Top 6 promoters did tremendous business, with 8,382,834 tickets sold between them and AU$1.41 billion made. The leading five were Frontier Touring, TEG, Live Nation, MG Live, Untitled Group, and Destroy All Lines.
Fifteen Contenders For Best Live Music Venue
Fifteen contenders were announced for the Best Live Music Venue category at the 2026 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA).
With a record number of entries this year, they are held at The Fullerton, Sydney on Wednesday, October 28.
Best Live Music Venue
Bella Vista Hotel, Bella Vista, NSW
Chuck Trailers CBD, Sydney
Corner Hotel, Richmond, VIC
Forresters, Sydney
Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads, NSW
Jolene’s, Sydney
Memphis Slim’s House of Blues, Adelaide
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Pleasure Club, Enmore, NSW
Ramblin Rascal Tavern, Sydney
Razz Room, Sydney
The Doss House, The Rocks, NSW
The Duke of Enmore, Enmore, NSW
The Fifth Province, St Kilda, VIC
The Lord Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale, NSW
In the category of Best Sports or Entertainment Venue were:
Arkaba Hotel, Fullerton, SA
Oran Park Hotel, Oran Park, NSW
Orion Hotel, Springfield, QLD
Settlers Inn Hotel, Port Macquarie, NSW
Social House at The Prince, Kirrawee, NSW
The Bat & Ball Hotel, Redfern, NSW
The Camfield, Burswood, WA
The Caxton, Brisbane
The Grove, Surrey Downs, SA
The Magpie, Enmore, NSW
The Sporting Globe, Richmond, VIC
Wray Hotel, Fremantle, WA
Two Options For Canberra Stadium
The Federal Government, which committed $9.98 million over two years to develop Canberra’s $750 million Bruce Precinct Master Plan has come up with two options with what to do with the ageing sports and entertainment Canberra Stadium.
One is to relocate the CIT campus and use land restructuring to enable a new stadium to be built more centrally within the precinct, close to proposed rapid public transport along Belconnen Way and Haydon Drive. The existing stadium will operate while the new one is built.
The other is to keep the stadium where it is, but upgrade it and connect it with an east-west rapid transport spine through Bruce.
The ACT Government has in the past has suggested a new venue with 30,000 seats under cover. Earlier this year it discussed a 8,000-seat entertainment venue in the new convention centre which would attract tours and productions that are currently bypassing Canberra.
Adelaide’s Hindley St. Getting $50M Makeover
Adelaide’s best after-dark strip Hindley Street is to get a $50 million makeover, the SA Government and City of Adelaide announced on Sunday (September 13).
The street will be turned into a one-way road in parts to protect pedestrians”, with wider footpaths, more trees, more shade, new pedestrian crossings and better street lighting and CCTV. Construction begins in 2028.
“Hindley Street is the heartbeat of our city’s nighttime economy – and it should be safe, attractive and project the very best our state has to offer,” said Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“This is about creating a Hindley Street that thrives during the day, comes alive at night. And is ready to welcome even more South Australians and visitors from around the world.”
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith confirmed the designs were still a work in progress, and that property owners and businesses would be asked for their input.
Greater Attendance For Adelaide Oval’s Village Green?
Adelaide Oval’s Village Green could soon have changes that will see the removal of the 15,000 cap on events, the lifting of a ban on multi-day events and overturning the rule requiring audio equipment to face south towards the CBD and away from nearby residences.
The Oval’s management has been pushing for these for some time, but Council pooh-pooh’d it. But in August, Planning Minister Nick Champion scribbled off a missive to Council to reconsider. Last Tuesday (September 8) councillors debated the issue and voted unanimously to get public feedback.
More Music, Hours, At Mojo’s
Fremantle WA live music destination Mojo’s is cranking up the music.
A post from co-owner Tony Papa-Adams signalled that after a year since he bought it, he’s turning it into a seven-day-a-week business from 3pm to late, as distinct from just a few days, and become a neighbourhood bar rather than a place to visit for a ticketed event.
Along with the extended hours are “revamped kitchen offering (Greek bites), great drinks that won't break the bank (hello, Happy Hour), weekly fun like our Wednesday pub quiz, free entry to the beer garden, and bloody great people behind the bar.”
Under booker Emma Adams, the focus remains on music, from touring acts to those starting out.
Book Back In Anger
Did Ticketmaster deceive Oasis fans when Noel & Liam and cohorts played Croke Park in Dublin on August 16 and 17 to 80,000 yowling tailwaggers each night?
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has laid two charges under the Consumer Protection Act that its use of “dynamic pricing” saw tickets rise from €176 (AU$284.74) on pre-sale to more than €400 ($647.14).
The CCPC contended that prices provided by Ticketmaster were done in a way that was not clear, and “in a manner that was likely to cause the average customer to make a decision they would not otherwise make.”
Ticketmaster, which admits that fans didn’t get any more for the loftier prices, will “fully test” the case. In 2024, a number of senators and TDs (Irish MPs) wanted to introduce legislation in the Republic of Ireland to ban “dynamic pricing”.
Queensland Locks In Gympie Music Muster To 2029
The Queensland Government has locked in funding support for the Gympie Music Muster through to 2029 to bolster up its mission to be recognised as national events capital.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said, "The Gympie Music Muster is a Queensland icon, and we're making sure it stays that way.
"Through Destination 2045, we're investing in the events, experiences and destinations that keep Queensland firmly on the map as Australia's events capital.”
The news was delivered after over 60,000 frolicked in the sun at the 50-hectare Amamoor Creek State Forest between August 27 and 30 to see 140 acts over nine stages.
They caught sets by Lee Kernaghan, Beccy Cole, Amber Lawrence, The Wolfe Brothers, Davisson Brothers Band, Felicity Urquhart, Taylor Moss, James Johnston, Larry Fleet, and James Blundell, among others, and indulged in activities including bush poetry, rodeos and line dancing.
The not-for-profit festival, which started in 1982, is expected to deliver 220,000 visitor nights and inject more than $51 million into the Queensland economy across the three-year period.
Gympie Music Muster CEO Greg Cavanagh commented, “This commitment provides certainty not just for our event, but for the community groups, artists and local businesses who make the Muster what it is.”
“We are proud to deliver strong tourism outcomes for Queensland, and this extension through to 2029 recognises the cultural, community and economic value the Muster generates year after year.
“It strengthens our shared vision for showcasing regional Queensland at its very best.”
It is estimated around 16,000 to 20,000 of the Muster audience come from outside Queensland – some from as far as New Zealand and WA – and reflects the strong tourism pull of Australia’s major country music festivals.
According to the Country Music Association of Australia, 137 dedicated country music festivals draw a total of 684,000 a year. They generate $54.5 million in ticket sales and inject an estimated $140 million into regional businesses.
One third of the 300,000 which attend the Tamworth Country Music Festival are from outside NSW. The figure is 60% of the 18,000 roll-up for the Deni Muster. Queensland’s Groundwater reckons 68% of its crowd are out-of-towners.
Musical Chairs
Former Sydney Opera House chief Louise Herron, has joined Powerhouse Parramatta as Strategic Adviser, helping out after the departure of CEO Lisa Havilah.
Rick Snell, Chair of Tasmanian regional arts organisation The Unconformity for the last nine years has tendered his resignation. During his watch, it moved from a volunteer-run group to a dynamic body that created strong links between the artists and the community.
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre has appointed Malcolm Clancy to the newly created role of Director of Business Development from the end of September. He brings 12 years of convention, marketing and hotels in Australia, Europe and North America including Head of Sales at Royal Dublin Society (RDS), Ireland’s largest convention and events venue.
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust in Geelong, Victoria, tapped Jess Green as Governance and Compliance Coordinator. The stadium was recently chosen as the Victorian home of Spilt Milk.
The Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals (CAIAF) appointed Katrina Sedgwick OAM as Chair, taking over from Richard Evans AM after twelve years of voluntary service.
Since 2022, she has served as the inaugural Director and CEO of Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co), where she oversees the delivery of Australia’s largest arts infrastructure project and the management of Federation Square.
Her career has also included leadership roles as Director and CEO of ACMI and Head of Arts for ABC Television, alongside leadership of numerous arts and screen festivals. She is currently a member of the ABC Board.
Live Nation Opens DoorDash Deal
Live Nation Australia and New Zealand struck a three year deal with DoorDash as official partner of its concerts, festivals and venues.
DoorDash Food Villages will appear at LN festivals, DoorDash customers get music perks, and DoorDash will engage fans as they leave shows at Live Nation venues with “exclusive offers and post-event promotions specially curated to extend the live experience.”
The Great Escape Sells Out In 40 Minutes
Tasmania’s end of year festival The Great Escape smashed its own presale record, selling out its entire early bird ticket allocation in just 40 minutes in its seventh year, The Mercury reported.
It runs December 29 to January 1 with Ocean Alley, Mallrat, and Miss Kannina among 35 acts. Marketing Manager Liam Meagher said it was gratifying that three-day passes were big sellers in the festival’s experiment with a three day format.
Beacon Lights Up Melbourne Recital Centre
Melbourne Recital Centre is this week opening up a new cabaret-style performance space, formerly a hidden space atop its Southbank building.
It’s called The Peter and Ruth McMullin Beacon after the philanthropic couple who donated $1 million to the room, alongside a $1 million investment from the State Government.
The Beacon will host cabaret, contemporary music, jazz, musical theatre and First Nations performances. It features new artwork by First Nations artist and musician Dr Lou Bennett AM, bringing her music ‘Look Above’ to life.
Melbourne Recital Centre CEO Sandra Willis pointed out, “The idea for the Beacon began with a simple question: how could we use this space to bring people even closer to music? The answer was to build on everything we are known for, exceptional music, extraordinary artists and creating memorable experiences, and reimagine it in an entirely new setting.”
The inaugural program includes cabaret artist Meow Meow, composer Iain Grandage, Paul Grabowsky with Ross Wilson, singer-songwriter Jess Hitchcock, Dr Trevor Jones, Indy Angel, Fem Belling, and Monique diMattina, as well as jazz and musical theatre performances and First Nations storytelling.
Fed Square’s Big Screen Gets Digital Upgrade
Melbourne’s Federation Square’s Big Screen has had a digital upgrade. It now features 2.6 million pixels across a 116m² high-resolution LED display, along with a new ultra-wide format and improved accessibility features.
It will make it easier for independent artists, creators, community groups and other partners to develop and supply content for one of the city’s great gathering places since 2002 with a capacity to hold 10,000 beside the Birrarung (Yarra River). Here people watch concerts, sports events, cultural moments and festivals.
The Griffin For Sale…
The Griffin on Hindmarsh Square in Adelaide is looking for a new buyer and operator to take over just weeks after the freehold was bought by developer George Kambitsis for $8.55 million.
Current operator You Say Group put the remaining long-term lease and business on the market to focus on its catering and events.
The 590-capacity room’s entertainment program includes live music, DJs, trivia and comedy nights, and offers multiple bar and function rooms, licenced balcony and 12 gaming machines.
Hotel broker Birnie Sanders who is handling the sale also offered the five-function room Astor Theatre on Pulteney St for $575,000 plus stock.
…And The Colombian & Gaslight Inn
Sydney music venues The Colombian and Gaslight Inn – both on the Oxford Street strip – are put on the market by Iris Capital. The three storey Colombian is well known for its swing and jazz acts. Both have 24-hour licences.
Manly Wharf To Host New Surf & Music Festival
Manly Wharf is hosting the new Surf + Sound festival, which combines surfing, live music, unique North Shore culture, public art, food & dining, and community experiences. It is held on three consecutive weekends from Friday October 16 to Sunday November 1.
Costing $1 million to set up, Surf + Sound is the brainchild of best mates Creative Director James ‘Jamo’ Willis, Adam Flaskas and Paul Henry (whose Artemus Group operates Felons Manly, Hugo’s, and Stanley at Manly Wharf,) world surf champion Joel Parkinson, and EZCORP CEO Lachie Given.
Willis spent 25 years in the US where he co-founded California’s Palm Springs Surf Club, New York City nightclub Southside, and was the first Australian to build a wave pool in the US. He returned to Sydney after losing his home during the 2025 Malibu fires.
First round of acts includes Skegss, The Whitlams, Skunkhour, The Beautiful Girls, GANGgajang, Winston Surfshirt (performing on a boat), and Mudhoney.
For The Whitlams’ Tim Freedman, Surf + Sound marks a return to the Northern Beaches more than four decades after his first local show.
“It’s been a long time between my first ever show at the Time and Tide Hotel in Dee Why in 1981 and this one. Just seven kilometres, and 45 years later. It’ll be great to be playing back in the hood.”
GANGgajang’s Graham ‘Buzz’ Bidstrup also has a long history with the Northern Beaches, having surfed and played venues across the area since arriving in Sydney in 1976.
A Few Things From Overseas
Bruno Mars’ The Romantic Tour has now ballooned to nine shows should come as no surprise given the extraordinary demand in the northern hemisphere. It delivered the largest single-day ticket sales in Live Nation history across North America, Europe, and the UK. It also set a Ticketmaster record with 2.1 million tickets sold in a single day. The world tour now has 115 stadium dates.
They might be verboten in Canada and Hungary, but New Zealand’s letting Kneecap for two shows next year. The band, and promoters MG Live and I OH YOU, are donating $1 from every ticket sold to national youth homelessness collective Manaaki Rangatahi.
But the hip hoppers pissed off conservative politico Winston Peters, leader of the NZ First party. It is pushing to give English a statutory official status alongside te reo Maori and sign language. Kneecap praised a statement by Greens MP Tamatha Paul it was just “a bastard language.”
Peters blasted them on radio as "a bunch of low IQ weasels who have no idea about history, and even less of an idea about the woke cultural madness they foolishly promote.” Kneecap have invited him to their February shows.
Lollapalooza India, the largest multi-genre music festival in Asia, returns for a fifth year on January 23 and 24 to Mumbai’s Mahalaximi Racecourse. Almost two or three of the 65,000 across both dates came from outside Mumbai in 2026. There was a massive turnout for headliners Linkin Park.
The Weeknd’s Europe/UK leg of the After Hours Till Dawn tour saw him play to 2.3 million fans, a gross of US$345 million, and $2.2 million donated to charities as the UN World Food Program and Global Citizen.
Pollstar noted that the UK and France shows alone had an economic impact of $618 million. Seven sold out shows in the UK to 450,000 fans, with ticket buyers coming from 150 countries.
A woman was killed and five hospitalised when a long gun man started shooting at a rave in Switzerland. The 43-year old was apprehended.
Frankston Arts Centre, Arts On Tour, Win At IMPACT Awards
Frankston Arts Centre and Arts on Tour were among winners at the IMPACT Awards, held by Performing Arts Connections Australia.
Frankston Arts Centre in outer Melbourne was named Performing Arts Centre of the Year. PAC Australia Executive Director Katherine Connor said, “Their commitment to inclusion and accessibility has made the venue a genuine place of belonging, while their work in schools, health settings and public spaces shows how a performing arts centre meaningfully embeds the arts in community life.
“They have also invested consistently in local artists, creating real pathways for creative development. This award reflects the strength of their approach to building relationships with audiences.”
FAC gets 16 hours of pro bono advice from venue and acoustic consultancy Charcoalblue to address its needs – a bonus introduced this year.
Hobart’s Theatre Royal received the Innovator Award, Ilbijerri Theatre Company for taking Big Name, No Blankets to prisons and remote areas, and GUTS Dance Central Australia for creating opportunities for new talent.
Honoured were the late Fiona Winning for her lengthy commitment to artists, audiences and the power of live performance; producer and mentor of emerging talent Harley Stumm; and Virginia Winter for her leadership at Portland Arts Centre and commitment to building culturally safe connection with Portland’s LGBTQIA+ and First Nation communities.
Cocktail Pours Its Last, But Rebrand Coming
In a sudden move, Surfers Paradise nightclub Cocktails closed after 36 years. No explanation was given, just a social media posting which went: “Tonight is the final goodbye, doors close on Cocktails nightclub for the final time.”
The nightclub launched in 1989 as Cocktails And Dreams, as a tribute to the 1988 Tom Cruise movie of that name, and was owned by Lino Girardi until it was sold last year.
But while patrons were reliving their memories and DJs were thanking the club for giving them a start, the chatter was that a new club would occupy the Orchid Street site with a new name.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, which did a bit of digging, Cocktails owners Jarrad Webb and David O’Connell’s company Bro Holdings registered a new business name, XS Nightclub, in April with the same address as Cocktails.
“The site was yet to be connected to official social media profiles, and its booking portal was not live this week,” the paper said.
Busselton Sets Up Salty Sound For Young Creatives
The City Of Busselton in WA has set up Salty Sound as a dedicated music rehearsal/jam, collaboration and creative space on the foreshore for musicians, songwriters, DJs and producers aged 12-25 years.
Found in the Youth and Community Activities Building, it offers:
PA system
Limited instruments and music equipment
Songwriting and music development opportunities
Workshops with musicians and industry professionals
Collaboration and networking opportunities
Youth-led creative projects
Comfortable lounge and chill-out spaces
It costs $60 every six months for each band (not per member). Regular times can be booked, and each weekly session can extend to two to three hours. Email the City Of Busselton’s Youth department to request a membership.
Nine Meltdowns!
Police are investigating the arson of one of Townsville’s better known music venues, The Great Northern.
It has been empty since 2015 after a fire. But apparently it’s been inhabited by squatters, and neighbours said a “kitchen” involved four car batteries wired together to cook food and charge an e-scooter.
Former Tamworth Country Music Festival director Joel Ulbricht, who stepped down from his role within six months for sexually touching a woman without consent, has learned his fate.
He was convicted and sentenced to a community corrections order for a period of two years. He was also ordered to undertake 250 hours of community service work and abstain from alcohol for six months.
A class action-style lawsuit by more than 350 Accor Stadium platinum members has settled just before it went to the NSW Supreme Court, The group securing “a substantial reinstatement” of their scrapped VIP rights, The Saturday Telegraph divulged.
600 VIP packages costing $34,000 each were sold to help pay for the stadium’s $750 million cost. Perks included exclusive seating, car parking, entrances, greater voting rights, and use of restaurant and bar for family and clients.
The perks were to last another four years. But in February, they were told by Venues NSW, which runs the stadium on behalf of the State Government, that it was cancelled due to a change of ownership structure. Unfair, the high and mighty snarled, before calling lawyers.
Adelaide live music venue The Ed Castle Hotel on Currie Street took to social media to warn patrons of several suspected drink spiking incidents across the CBD in recent weeks.
It warned them not to accept drinks from strangers or leave drinks unattended, and to alert staff of suspicious behaviour.
Former Sticky Fingers singer Dylan Frost and partner Elyssa Ford were hauled before the Waverley Local Court accused of breaching an apprehended violence order police placed on them.
Neighbours called cops claiming they’d been fighting. But the couple explained they were just tussling over a phone, no more. Outside the court, Frost dreamily told media, “Love is the key, love is the answer.”
A 10-minute brawl outside The Precinct Tavern on the Darwin waterfront left staff with facial and upper body injuries, The NT News reported. Five people were charged with aggravated assault with staff saying nine were involved.
Gold Coast cabaret venue Dracula’s is having a wing-ding with local council, according to The Gold Coast Bulletin.
The latter sent off a cease-and-desist letter in the autumn asking why they were having more people than the 430 allowed without increasing car parking. The Draccies are fighting back asking for capacity to be increased to 500 and without more car spaces.
The two-day Opening Day of Perth’s new film studio saw 30 volunteers asked by West Coast Crew to be part of the event in four scenarios during the making of a music video by a local band.
WA Today discovered they were not being paid, but given a meal and the “opportunity” to work with experienced directors and crew. However that soon changed when the State Government sternly intervened.
Simply the mess? Tina Turner tribute singer Rebecca Maria O’Connor, 51, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court to driving five times over the limit.
She told the court she’d been off the grog but that particular day had been her late mum’s birthday. She copped a 12 month probation order and was disqualified from driving for 18 months with no convictions recorded.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
