Open Season 2026 is back from 25 May to 25 July, and this year’s program is immense. 100+ artists and special events, 10+ venues, and a lineup that swings from underground chaos to big-name international flexes without losing the local heart that made the whole thing matter in the first place. A bit cool, mate.
This is a full city takeover
One of the most interesting things about Open Season is that it has grown into something much bigger than a standard multi-night music event. What started in 2020 as a one-venue, four-week response to a wrecked live music landscape has now become a full Brisbane winter cultural program, stretching across The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre, QPAC’s Glasshouse Theatre, Fish Lane, Clarence Corner, St Andrew’s Church, Quivr, galleries, and public spaces across the city.
Open Season has built its name on making Brisbane feel alive, weird, ambitious and worth leaving the house for, even when the temperature drops and your brain is begging for blanket behaviour.
The 2026 lineup is impressive
The headline pitch here is easy enough: Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson & Yasiin Bey, Alison Wonderland, Skin on Skin, Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE, Wednesday, Hiatus Kaiyote, Mogwai, Peach PRC, Saint Levant, Kae Tempest, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Stereolab, Sparks, Dry Cleaning and more. Loads more.
But the fun of Open Season is the contrast. One minute, you have the poetic weight of Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE. The next you are looking at Alison Wonderland, Skin on Skin, RONA., Bradley Zero, and C.Frim keeping the electronic side of the program very much fed. Then there is Mogwai, Deafheaven, Nothing, and Spy for people who like their music to hurt.
And then, because Open Season refuses to be normal (same), you also get Cate Le Bon, Kae Tempest, Clara La San, Matt Berninger, Ben Kweller, Current Joys, The Black Angels, Silversun Pickups, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Rum Jungle, Full Flower Moon Band, Hatchie, and Shady Nasty all in the mix too. It is cross-genre in a way that actually feels thoughtful.
Peach PRC fans, yes, she is in here
A particularly nice inclusion is Peach PRC, who has been folded into the Open Season program following the cancellation of her On The Banks performances due to illness. According to the announcement, it is a way of reaffirming her commitment to Brisbane fans, and honestly, that is the kind of scheduling recovery arc we love to see.
There is more than gigs on this thing, too
Open Season 2026 is also leaning hard into the “city of sound” idea, which means it is not just about live sets in dark rooms.
There is Against The Grain Festival, a one-day multi-venue block party celebrating 10 years of GRAIN, with a first-round reveal including Stereolab, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and Hatchie. There is Blak Day Out, co-presented by Blak Social, centring Blak excellence and First Nations voices. There is South System Vol. 2 in Fish Lane, Centrefold, celebrating women and GNC creatives in electronic music, and Nowhere Fast, a photographic exhibition focused on Brisbane’s punk and post-punk scene from 1978 to 1982.
That wider programming is part of what makes Open Season feel like its own ecosystem rather than just a pile of ticket links and a poster graphic, and we really, genuinely, love to see it.
A few standout nights from the full program
A few of the big drawcards from the current announcement include:
- Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson and Yasiin Bey – 25 May – The Tivoli
- Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE – 27 May – The Tivoli
- Mogwai – 27 May – Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC
- Dry Cleaning – 28 May – The Princess Theatre
- Sparks – 30 May – Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC
- Matt Berninger – 31 May – The Princess Theatre
- Alison Wonderland – 4 June – The Tivoli
- Wednesday – 4 June – The Princess Theatre
- Kae Tempest – 7 June – The Princess Theatre
- Saint Levant – 8 June – The Princess Theatre
- Hiatus Kaiyote – 10 July – The Tivoli
- Deafheaven with Nothing and Spy – 12 July – The Princess Theatre
- Peach PRC – 16 June – Secret Venue TBA
- Skin on Skin – 17 June – Secret Venue TBA
- Silversun Pickups – 24 July – The Tivoli
- Eddy Current Suppression Ring – 25 July – The Princess Theatre
There is also another round of artist and venue announcements coming on 10 April, so this lineup is not even fully cooked yet. Damn.
Event Info
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | Open Season 2026 |
| Dates | 25 May to 25 July 2026 |
| Location | Brisbane / Magandjin |
| Scale | 100+ artists and special events across 10+ venues |
| Pre-sale | Thursday 26 March 2026, 7:00am AEST |
| General On-sale | Friday 27 March 2026, 8:00am AEST |
| Key Venues | The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre, QPAC Glasshouse Theatre, Fish Lane, Quivr, St Andrew’s Church and more |
| Promoters / Presenters | The Tivoli Group, Double J and QPAC |
TLDR;
- Open Season 2026 runs from 25 May to 25 July across Brisbane/Magandjin
- The program features 100+ artists and special events across 10+ venues
- Big names include Earl Sweatshirt & MIKE, Alison Wonderland, Mogwai, Peach PRC, Kae Tempest, Sparks, Saint Levant, Hiatus Kaiyote and more
- Pre-sale starts Thursday, 26 March 2026 at 7:00 am AEST
- General on-sale starts Friday, 27 March 2026 at 8:00 am AEST
- Another round of artist and venue announcements is due on 10 April
- Sign up for pre-sale
- Official Open Season website
Stay unruly.
