Outback anthems return: Big Red & Mundi Mundi Bash 2026
Words Editorial Team Pics Matt Williams
After a breather in 2025, the Birdsville Big Red Bash is roaring back to life next July, joined by the ever-growing Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash in August. Together, they’re promising three days of dust, dancing and desert sunsets like nowhere else on earth.
Birdsville Big Red Bash
Two stages. Two deserts. Thousands of campers. One giant Aussie soundtrack.
This is the comeback tour of the outback. There’s something magical about music echoing across red sand and open sky.
The Birdsville Big Red Bash (7–9 July 2026) returns to the foot of the mighty 40-metre-high Big Red dune, while the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash (20–22 August 2026) will once again light up the legendary plains north of Silverton.
Expect the kind of line-up that makes even the Galahs and Little Corellas sing…
Missy Higgins, The Teskey Brothers, Hoodoo Gurus, The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Jessica Mauboy, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kate Ceberano, Tim Finn, The Whitlams, Chocolate Starfish, Ross Wilson and many more.
For the first time, two next-gen artists will share stage with their famous parents at the Big Red Bash — Gypsy Lee with mum Kate Ceberano, and Jem Cassar-Daley alongside dad Troy. Talk about keeping it in the family.
Over at the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash, you’ll catch Jon Stevens, John Butler, Boy & Bear, Baby Animals, Leo Sayer, Wendy Matthews, Richard Clapton, Fanny Lumsden and a few surprise favourites still to come.
Hoodoo Gurus
More than music
Birdsville Big Red Bash founder Greg Donovan says it best:
“Watching families dance in the shadow of the 40-metre-high Big Red sand dune as the sun sets behind it, or seeing thousands on the Mundi Mundi Plains under that endless sky with the Barrier Ranges behind them is pure magic.”
Both festivals are all-ages, dog-friendly and BYO, welcoming everyone from first-timers to grey nomads. Expect three days of live music, world record attempts, comedy, camel rides and outdoor film nights, all set against two of the most breathtaking backdrops in Australia.
New activities will debut in 2026, replacing the famous Nutbush dance-offs — but organisers are keeping details under wraps (for now).
Outback travel meets festival freedom
Getting there is half the fun.
Birdsville Big Red Bash sits 35km west of Birdsville, with sealed road access right to town and a short, graded stretch to the festival site.
Mundi Mundi Bash takes place on Belmont Station, just 9km north of Silverton — and yes, the road is fully sealed all the way in.
Whether you’re towing a camper, offroad caravan, driving solo or joining a tag-along convoy, this is outback touring with a musical twist.
Bus tours, train connections and charter flights are available, but most festivalgoers prefer to drive themselves and soak up the desert scenery en route.
Missy Higgins
Tickets and travel info for Birdsville Big Red Bash
When: 7–9 July 2026
Where: Big Red sand dune, 35km west of Birdsville, Qld
Tickets: On sale 10am AEDT, 23 October 2025
Click here for more information.
Tickets and travel info for Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash
When: 20–22 August 2026
Where: Belmont Station, Mundi Mundi Plains, NSW
Tickets: On sale 10am AEDT, 24 October 2025
Click here for more information.
Volunteer applications open 18–22 October (early access for past volunteers first).
Kids under 18 score heavily discounted tickets, and a village of food vendors will keep everyone fuelled with everything from flat whites to festival burgers.
Why go?
Because where else can you watch Missy Higgins sing under a billion stars, or hear Jon Stevens roar across a red horizon?
No water parks. No traffic lights. Just the open road, your swag, rooftop camper or caravan and the biggest outback party in Australia.
So pack the esky, grab your broad-brimmed hat and make 2026 the year you dance in the desert.
Plan your route with Hema Maps and turn your festival into a full-blown adventure.
Maps to lead the way
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