THE GUM BALL MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL 2026
The 21st Birthday Edition!
ANNOUNCES INCREDIBLE FIRST ROUND LINE UP
2025 was a monumental chapter for The Gum Ball.
The 20th anniversary was officially the biggest festival to date, with a bumper crowd rolling into Dashville to celebrate two decades of this remarkable regional cultural institution.
Now here we are in 2026 and the supreme live music and art festival returns 24th, 25th & 26th April 2026, to the majestic bush lands of Dashville (Wonnarua) Lower Belford, Hunter Valley, NSW and this time round, we’re calling it a very special 21st birthday party!
And today we are pleased to announce the first portion of the live music program, twenty five acts hand picked for your aural pleasure.
Today the festival is excited to announce twenty-five acts from all corners of Australia.
Like any previous Gum Ball music program, you can expect a fantastic sonic journey across a myriad of genres, styles and unforgettable moments.
Please welcome to the stage,
King Stingray | Meg Washington | Don Walker | Kingswood | THESE NEW SOUTH WHALES | William Crighton The Vasco Era | JAZZPARTY | Davey Lane | mylee gRACE | Bluebottle Kiss | Mess Esque | sub-tribe | brown spirits The Roadtrippers | JOAN & THE GIANTS | Dana Gehrman | Alter Boy | milly strange | warbaby | Timothy Nelson |
Benji & The Saltwater Soundsystem | RegiKay | Fähm | CHAIN DAISY
+ more to be announced
In a full circle moment, some Gum Ballers may recognise the 21st Bday headliner as the relatively unknown band that blew us all away at Gum Ball 2022!
Yolŋu surf rockers King Stingray, will bring their blend of raucous rock’n’roll and ancient Indigenous songlines all the way from Northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
King Stingray's debut album in 2022, earned them five ARIA nominations, taking out the Breakthrough Artist award, they also took out the Australian Music Prize and won Album of the Year and Best Independent Rock Album at the 2023 AIR Awards.
The band will return to play the boutique festival in 2026, for what is essentially a kind gesture and a perfect example of high profile acts giving back to the grassroots of where they developed.
Other leading acts in this first announcement include platinum-selling and ARIA award winning, genre defying musician Meg Washington, who most recently just won Best Original Soundtrack at the 2025 Aria’s fo her co-written and co-produced film How to Make Gravy. Megs fifth studio album GEM, released earlier this year marks a new realm for the prolific artist.
Dashville is honoured to welcome Australian music royalty, Don Walker and his band to The Gum Ball. Don has had an extensive career, as a founding member of the band Cold Chisel, he wrote most of the hits, including Khe San, Flame Trees and Cheap Wine. An incredible writer, his first book, “Shots”, was published in 2009 and his most recent solo album, Lightning In Clear Blue Sky was released in 2023.
With the additional prelude concert yet to be announced on Thursday 23rd April, and a second line up announcement due for late January, The Gum Ball is an incredible live music escape, designed for all ages and inclinations, boasting an enviable reputation as one of the best laid-back festivals in existence.
The festival’s survival is a remarkable tip of the hat to the community that abounds this cultural institution and as the music industry becomes increasingly overcome by big business and artificial intelligence, we recognise that community festivals such as The Gum Ball are as crucial as ever. A place for true human connections, fond memories and most importantly, audience development for both the local and nationwide grassroots music scene.
To think of it like your beloved backyard garden, where you endeavour to grow your own food, or at least obtain it from the local farmer. After twenty years of illustrious community development, through this wonderful long running festival, Dashville are relishing in their focus towards continually replenishing the soil, growing wonderful wholesome original music from the blossoming community garden, providing an ultimate live music experience for those who are yearning for something a little more palatable.
The line ups Dashville put forward, are altering the dynamic of what most music festivals tend to rely on. A festival run by musicians for musicians, a safe place for people of all ages to discover new music and build audiences amongst a growing community of music lovers who travel from all across Australia to attend.
There are a few things that separate The Gum Ball from other festivals. Run by a small team of music lovers on their family property, there is a certain charm to its existence, one which has allowed the boutique festival to slowly become one of Australia’s most cherished cultural escapes, with something on offer for anyone with a penchant for live music.
The stunning natural bushland setting of Dashville provides an unforgettable home away from home, with its iconic event, The Gum Ball, serving as the highlight of the year. This welcoming and inclusive festival offers a relaxed experience that brings together music lovers of all ages and backgrounds.
This welcoming and inclusive festival offers a relaxed experience that brings together music lovers of all ages and backgrounds. Don’t miss an incredible weekend of live music, art, comedy, pro skateboarding, a Silent Disco, markets, workshops, camping and more.
Some background….
A lot has happened since that clear crisp morning in 2004, when an enthusiastic young Matt ‘Magpie Johnston, fresh from a solo around-the-world adventure, sat at the foot of his parents’ bed asking for permission to host a festival in the front yard of his family property.
It’s a story of triumph through adversity, as Kev Carmody wrote, ‘from little things big things grow’, so with a vision in sight and the blinkers on, a twenty year old music enthusiast set about his goal to create a festival with the catch phrase ‘enjoy music the way nature intended’. With the support of friends and family Magpie pushed through some pretty full on physical, mental and financial hurdles, through passion, tenacity and DIY doggedness, to build not only a festival, but also a supreme place of gathering.
Dashville, aptly named in 2008 in respect of Johnston’s father Dash, is an incredible space, a 3000-capacity live music venue and campground, which harnesses the natural landscape, flourishing through age-old permaculture principles, to provide something truly amazing and wholesome for the music loving community.
The music-loving community has a deep affection for Dashville, and with the diverse and carefully curated lineups the Dashville team presents year after year, it's easy to see why it’s earned its reputation as a haven for passionate music fans. Offering a mix of well-established acts and emerging talent, The Gum Ball Festival is a place of discovery and excitement. Past lineups have included big names like Mudhoney (US), Hoodoo Gurus, The Herd, Sampa The Great, Ben Lee, You Am I, Tex Perkins and Baby Animals, as well as emerging artists – some of who would go on to achieve global recognition such as King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Kim Churchill, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, The Preatures and more. With around 40 artists, both local and international, performing one after another in the intimate setting of the bushland amphitheatre, Dashville consistently delivers an experience beyond expectations.
For Tickets & more info, head to www.dashville.com.au
MEDIA ASSETS (Artist images / Festival artwork) HERE
Media enquiries, please contact Jo Corbett at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.