GOOLWAL GOOLWAL ADDS PERFORMANCE BY LEGENDARY SONGMAN UNCLE JOE GEIA AND ARIA WINNING HIPHOP SUPERGROUP 3%
EXCLUSIVE TO BIGSOUND: TRIALS TO SOUNDTRACK MOB CYPHER - MAGANDJIN EDITION FEATURING NOOKY AND DALLAS WOODS
ANNOUNCING EXPANDED NEXT GEN FIRST NATIONS PROGRAM WITH CALLING FOR COUNTRY AND MOB ARTISTS TO HAVE FIRST AND LAST CONFERENCE WORD
FREE-FOR-ALL PROGRAM TO INCLUDE JARJUM SOUNDS WITH LUCAS PROUDFOOT
Image (left to right/top to bottom): 3%, DENNI, Uncle Joe Geia, Tasman Keith and Kobie Dee
GOOLWAL GOOLWAL celebrates the 25th year of BIGSOUND welcoming three international delegations plus an expanded line up including 3%, Uncle Joe Geia and Jarjum (Children) Sounds with Lucas Proudfoot.
MOB CYPHER is heading to BIGSOUND for a Magandjin edition featuring top tier blak talent Nooky and Dallas Woods + trials to soundtrack.
Free-For-All program continues + merchandise with meaning - The Goolwal Goolwal 2026 shirt will feature some of your fav Mob Artists with a portion of proceeds going to The Disappeared Project and Dhadjowa Foundation.
BIGSOUND tickets are on sale now, festival early bird extended - grab your tickets now: bigsound.org.au.
BIGSOUND 100 Showcase Schedule Live - start planning your week.
Magandjin (Brisbane), Queensland - GOOLWAL GOOLWAL returns as part of BIGSOUND with an expanded program of First Nations excellence including a late night set from ARIA winning act 3% and a free for the public set from legendary songman Uncle Joe Geia.
Set to open BIGSOUND’s 25th celebrations, Goolwal Goolwal will officially welcome delegates from around the world including guests from Turtle Island (CAN), Aotearoa (NZ) and Chile to Fortitude Valley with a traditional Welcome to Country, ‘Gather and Graze’ and special Calling for Country ceremony for global First Nations guests.
Taking place on the BIGSOUND Mall Stage presented by Amazon Music (Tue, 1 Sep at 12.00pm/Noon), guests will be treated to an authentic cultural experience including catering by Bebe Lena’s Kitchen founded by Helena Levi, a proud Torres Strait Islander woman with a passion for fusing the flavours of the Torres Strait Islands with Malaysian spices.
“The opportunity to showcase my kaikai (food) to a diverse range of business professionals while listening to deadly beats - big esso! (thank-you!)” said Levi.
“I love feeding my community and I’m thrilled that BIGSOUND, through Goolwal Goolwal and its partners, have chosen to partner with me to show our international guests just how good Mob food can be - no pressure obviously.”
The Gather and Graze will lead into an opening showcase from participants of Mushroom Group's First Nations Pathway Program, supported by Coles, giving the Brunswick Street crowd a taste of the next generation of Indigenous talent. Now in its fifth year, the program has led to ARIA winning collaborations including the acclaimed group 3% who also joins this year’s Goolwal Goolwal lineup with a late-night show at Crowbar after the official showcase on Wednesday night. The 2026 program cohort looks set for similar success, keep an eye out for performances by RIAH, MINTY, Djunmili Yunupingu, homebody, Kiah (performing as The Violet Summers) and more!
Free and accessible to the public daily until 5.30pm, the Home of Goolwal Goolwal at Hey Chica! will host yarns, gatherings, and First Nations market stalls curated by Flash Blak, fresh off Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) runway and market promenade, nestled within trials’ new art exhibition what's the colour of love?, that compliments the release of his album hendle (2026). The annual Goolwal Goolwal Elders gathering will coincide with a highly anticipated set from our Elder in Residence Uncle Joe Geia as part of his last ever national tour, concluding his 40+ years as a professional Songman.
The full conference program, which is interwoven with First Nations artists, leaders and communities has been revealed in recent weeks, reinforcing an overarching dedication to the amplifying of culture, knowledge sharing and collaboration between all areas of the music industry from Australia and beyond.
Minister for Education and the Arts, John-Paul Langbroek, said BIGSOUND continues to showcase and celebrate the talent of Queensland artists and grow the State’s creative economy.
“BIGSOUND plays an important role in strengthening the careers of Queensland’s music talent, fosters industry connections and amplifies opportunities for new artists,” Minister Langbroek said.
“The Crisafulli Government’s support for QMusic and BIGSOUND delivers on our 10-year arts and culture strategy, Queensland’s Time to Shine, backing our creative workforce, fostering access to new markets and new audiences, and strengthening the state’s reputation as a creative powerhouse.”
With the festival only weeks away, whispers of the highly anticipated late-night program can be heard from BIGSOUND HQ, with the team today confirming rumours that MOB CYPHER will be headed to BIGSOUND to record its Magandjin edition at The Prince Consort - La La Land (Tue, 1 Sep). Following on from the project’s debut, hosted by BARKAA and Bianca Hunt on Gadigal land in Sydney back in April, Mob Cypher will showcase top-tier hip-hop and rap artists including DENNI; Nooky; Dallas Woods; and more before inviting them to freestyle as part of the live recording of an original track.
This special GOOLWAL GOOLWAL edition of the cypher comes to Magandjin, with award-winning composer, producer, songwriter and multi-disciplinary artist trials providing the beat. trials’ work with Funkoars, A.B. Original and most recently on his debut solo album, hendle, has earned him status as one of Australia’s most prolific artists – having the proud Ngarrindjeri man as part of MOB CYPHER MAGANDJIN is sure to produce the deadliest of sounds.
Expanding beyond traditional commercial sounds this year the BIGSOUND Mall Stage presented by Amazon Music will feature free programming for the little ones in the form of Jarjum Sounds (Children's Sounds) with Lucas Proudfoot - proud Goodjingburra-Bundjalung performer creating content to inspire and educate children across Australia.
“I’m so excited to be performing at BIGSOUND as part of Goolwal Goolwal,” said musician and performer for young audiences Mr Proudfoot.
“Early access to music and dance has not only been shown to improve the development of language and motor skills for our Jarjum but it’s also a lot of fun for little ones and parents alike - I’m thrilled to be showcasing the sounds that our future BIGSOUNDers are currently jamming to on the general public stage this year and I hope to see a bunch of families grooving with me.”
Jarjum Sounds will take place on the BIGSOUND Mall Stage presented by Amazon Music between 11am and noon, Wednesday, 3 September - all are welcome.
If the BIGSOUND program feels extra deadly this year - that’s because it is. With 12% of the BIGSOUND 100 line up identifying as Mob - this year’s event is a feast of Blak excellence. With a long-list of yarns including the opening and closing Artists in Conversation sessions with trials, Tasman Keith and Kobie Dee, as well as deadly beats set to carry on 'til late across the whole BIGSOUND precinct, the 2026 GOOLWAL GOOLWAL program is not to be missed.
Always putting the community at the heart of what we do, for the first time this year Goolwal Goolwal is producing a deadly shirt featuring some of your fav Mob Artists. Sold in the BIGSOUND Merchandise Store, this merch-with-meaning project looks to give back while celebrating 25 years of BIGSOUND walking alongside Mob with a portion of proceeds going to First Nations not-for-profits, Dhadjowa Foundation and The Disappeared Project.
Festival tickets and delegate passes are on sale now - with festival early bird ending 17 August 2026. Grab your tickets today.
BIGSOUND is proudly supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, together with Presenting Partner Oztix and other valued industry and commercial partners.
ABOUT BIGSOUND
Celebrating its 25th year, BIGSOUND remains Australia’s premier music industry gathering and the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Over the past quarter of a century, it has helped launch the careers of artists including Flume, Tash Sultana, Tones And I and Courtney Barnett, while continuing to connect Australian artists with the people and opportunities that shape successful careers.
BIGSOUND is proudly supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane Economic Development Agency, together with Presenting Partner Oztix and other valued industry and commercial partners.
For four days each September, Fortitude Valley becomes the meeting place for the Australian music industry where artists are discovered, careers are accelerated, partnerships are formed and the future of Australian music is shaped.
For the program and tickets, visit www.bigsound.org.au.
BIGSOUND 2026 | 1–4 September, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Early bird tickets on sale now.
QMusic is the not-for-profit music industry peak body and development association for Queensland. The work of QMusic is critical to the success and development of Queensland’s music economy. It is the only significant and established not-for-profit organisation in Queensland dedicated to delivering sector and talent development, and recognition and capacity building initiatives including Industry Connect, the QMAs, and BIGSOUND.
For more information on BIGSOUND 2026 visit www.bigsound.org.au
