The 2026 return of the Birdsville Big Red Bash could be in doubt, with organisers alerting patrons that a search for a new festival site is currently underway.
News of the potential site change for the July event was communicated to patrons on March 9th, with organisers explaining it was due to a “major rain event associated with a tropical low moving south caused widespread flooding across the Australian outback” across late February and early March.
As a result, Birdsville – located on the edge of the Simpson Desert on the border of Queensland and South Australia – received more than its annual average rainfall in just a matter of days, with stations north of the town receiving up to four times its annual rainfall.
Noting how some locals “have compared the scale of this event to the record floods of 1974,” organisers added that road access to Birdsville currently hindered due to flooding in the Diamantina River, though this is anticipated to subside soon.
“What wasn't anticipated was the extent of the inundation at the Big Red Bash festival site,” organisers added. “Based on current conditions and local advice, the site will not dry sufficiently by July to allow the event to be held safely in this location.
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“As a result, we are now actively working through the operational and logistical requirements with key stakeholders and local authorities to assess options for relocating the festival to an alternative site within the Birdsville region.”
They noted that this early alert is to ensure that patrons are made aware of the situation as early as possible, adding that “if the festival cannot be relocated and cancellation is necessary,” all ticketholders will receive a refund in due course.
The 2026 edition of the Big Red Bash – held in Birdville from July 7th to 9th – is planned to be the first held by organisers since 2024, following a fallow year in 2025.
Citing the “massive undertaking” of running the event, founder Greg Donovan said in September 2024 that the team was “overdue a break.”
“The spectacular desert location means we have no infrastructure on site – not even the basics of running water or electricity – so every year we effectively build and remove a mini city from scratch and spend six days looking after thousands of people,” he explained.
“It's a huge task and one of the most logistically demanding events in the world to stage. Planning for the event is year-round, and most of our crew set aside a month to be on the ground from start to finish.”
Updates in regard to the location of the Birdsville Big Red Bash will be provided by organisers in due course. Ticket sales to the Birdsville Big Red Bash are currently paused while the situation is assessed, though tickets to its sister festival, the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash, are on sale now.
Birdsville Big Red Bash
7-9 July 2026
Full Line-Up:
Missy Higgins, Hoodoo Gurus, The Teskey Brothers, The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Jessica Mauboy, Shannon Noll, Kate Ceberano, The Whitlams, Tim Finn, Troy Cassar-Daley, Chocolate Starfish, Ross Wilson, Furnace and the Fundamentals, 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac, Shane Howard, Wes Carr, Jem Cassar-Daley, Tom Busby, Gypsy Lee.
Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash
20-22 August 2026
Full Line-Up:
The Teskey Brothers, Jon Stevens, John Butler, Boy & Bear, Baby Animals, Jessica Mauboy, The Whitlams, Leo Sayer, Tim Finn, Richard Clapton, Troy Cassar-Daley, Chocolate Starfish, Furnace and the Fundamentals, Wendy Matthews, The Radiators, Shane Howard, Fanny Lumsden, 19-Twenty, 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac, Hot Potato Band, Tom Busby and Wes Carr.
