Australia, we’re coming back. And this time we’re doing three cities, 23 artists and 37 live sets across nine very loud days.
LOUD WOMEN Fest Australia 2026 lands in Gadigal/Sydney on Saturday 21 November, heads straight to Naarm/Melbourne on Sunday 22 November, then finishes up in Meanjin/Brisbane on Sunday 29 November.
The lineups bring together brilliant bands from across Australia with artists travelling from the UK, crossing punk, post-punk, hardcore, grunge, riot grrrl, sludge, indie, noise and alternative rock. IRKED and I, Doris are making the full three-city run, alongside Second Idol, The Maggie Pills and Vipersnatch, with a different stack of local and interstate artists joining them in each city.
LOUD WOMEN started as a little London gig night in 2015 because there simply weren’t enough women and non-binary artists being given space on stages. Eleven years later, we’re an international, proudly trans-inclusive and intersectional feminist community, connecting DIY scenes, artists and audiences around the world.
That connection is at the heart of our international Fests. We want brilliant rising DIY artists to find audiences outside their own towns, cities and countries, while giving local scenes the chance to discover bands they might otherwise never cross paths with. Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you properly to all 23 artists playing Australia, so keep your eyes peeled. There are a lot of new favourite bands incoming.
Crucially, these aren’t festivals being planned from the other side of the world and dropped into Australian cities. Each one has been built with musicians at the heart of their own local scenes: Kate Farquharson of Second Idol in Gadigal/Sydney; Ebonnie Shea of Daddy Issues and Delfi Sorondo of The Maggie Pills in Naarm/Melbourne; and Riley Doherty of Vipersnatch and Georgia Zemanek-Woodrow of Whoroboros in Meanjin/Brisbane. They know the bands, the venues and the communities, and they’ve helped shape each festival from the ground up.
Gadigal/Sydney – Saturday 21 November
Waywards Ballroom, Newtown
Thirteen bands kick off the run, with artists coming from Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, Brisbane, Tasmania and the UK:
Anna & The Morphics + Blood Thinners + Boudicca + Dvrkworld + I, Doris + IRKED + Kitty of the Valley + Ponzi Scheme + Sage + Second Idol + The Cunning Linguists + The Maggie Pills + Vipersnatch
Naarm/Melbourne – Sunday 22 November
Bergy Bandroom
The very next day we land in Melbourne for another 12-band bill, with our touring crew joined by a hefty dose of Naarm talent:
Bitch Eyes + Eris and the Disciples + funkytown fish + I, Doris + IRKED + Operation Karma + smallways. + Second Idol + Terra Rouge + The Maggie Pills + Vipersnatch + Whoroboros
Meanjin/Brisbane – Sunday 29 November
The Brightside
One week later, the Australian run finishes in Brisbane with 12 more bands and a lineup packed with Meanjin artists alongside visitors from interstate and the UK:
Anna & The Morphics + Dirty Linen + I, Doris + IRKED + Lavender Threat + Sage + Second Idol + smallways. + The Maggie Pills + Vipersnatch + Whoroboros + Whose Party
For the first two weeks, presale tickets for all three festivals are $25 general admission / $20 concession. After that they’ll be $35 / $25, with door tickets $40 / $30.
Concession tickets are available to students, people receiving Centrelink or other government support, people receiving NDIS or other government disability payments, and pensioners. No proof is required. We’re also holding a small allocation of complimentary community tickets for each festival because we want these shows to be accessible to people who might otherwise be priced out.
LOUD WOMEN Fest is female and non-binary focused, proudly trans-inclusive, and all genders are very welcome to come along, support the bands, discover something new and be part of it.
Acknowledgement of Country
LOUD WOMEN acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which these festivals take place: the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation in Sydney, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne, and the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Brisbane. We recognise their continuing connection to Country and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
