ARIA Award for Best Music Festival Returns for Second Year

The ARIA Award for Best Music Festival will return for a second year, the Australian Recording Industry Association announced Monday, with entries opening the same day and closing at 5 p.m. AEST on Friday, Sept. 18.

Developed jointly with the Australian Festival Association (AFA), the award recognizes festivals that put Australian artists in front of the audiences that build their careers, along with the programmers who back local talent on their lineups.

To be eligible, a festival must feature an Australian headline act or a lineup that’s at least 50% Australian artists, and must hold AFA membership.

Laneway Festival won the inaugural award in 2025, beating out nominees Ability Fest, Beyond the Valley, Bluesfest Byron Bay and Yours and Owls Festival. The category’s debut year drew attention as one of the first ARIA honors specifically tied to festival programming decisions rather than individual artist or record achievements.

“Festivals are where Australian artists meet the audiences that change their careers,” ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said in a statement.

“Programming Australian talent is a deliberate decision and has a huge impact on the careers of local artists. It is a delight to continue celebrating those who go above and beyond to do this.” AFA chair Adelle Robinson — who also leads Australian promoter Fuzzy — added that festivals are “a key part of the music industry’s eco system,” having “platformed many Australian artists at the beginning of their career,” and called the award a recognition of “the link between Australian music, fans and a unique live experience.”

The category’s return lands amid a milestone year for the organization. The 2026 ARIA Awards will mark the ceremony’s 40th anniversary on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion — the sixth consecutive year the venue has hosted the event, and the same site where ARIA held a standalone Hall of Fame anniversary celebration earlier this year, inducting six artists into its Hall of Fame in June.

The 2026 ceremony, presented in partnership with Spotify and broadcast on Network 10 and Paramount+, will look back at four decades of Australian music while highlighting current stars. Nominations for the main ARIA Awards will be announced Thursday, Sept. 24.