The Splendour in the Grass 2026 lineup dropped last week, and my inbox immediately filled with the usual mix of excitement and complaints. Too many internationals. Not enough women. Where’s the hip-hop? Why is that band headlining?

Every year, the same conversation. But this year’s lineup tells us some interesting things about where the Australian festival market is heading.

The Headline Acts

Without naming names and getting into the weeds of who’s worthy and who isn’t, the pattern is clear: Splendour has doubled down on nostalgia bookings supplemented by current streaming favourites.

Two of the three headliners are acts whose peak commercial success was five to ten years ago. They’ll draw crowds based on catalogue rather than new material. The third is a current global streaming phenomenon whose Australian fanbase is primarily under 25.

This is a deliberate strategy. The nostalgia acts appeal to Splendour’s core demographic — people in their late twenties and thirties who’ve been attending since their university days and can now afford the ticket price. The streaming favourite brings in a younger audience who might be attending their first festival.

It’s pragmatic. It’s also a bit safe.

The Undercard Tells the Real Story

Where Splendour gets interesting is in the second and third tier of the lineup. This is where you see the festival’s actual taste, and this year it’s surprisingly adventurous.

A strong representation of Australian acts across the undercard suggests the booking team is listening to the criticism about international-heavy lineups. I counted more Australian artists in the top forty billed acts than in any Splendour lineup since 2019.

The genre spread is wider than usual too. Post-punk, experimental electronic, R&B, First Nations artists, and a couple of genuine left-field choices that suggest someone on the booking team has been paying attention to the underground.

The Economics

Let’s talk money, because that’s ultimately what drives festival lineups.

A three-day Splendour ticket is now over $300 plus camping and transport. For a North Byron event, you’re realistically looking at $500-700 all in, more if you’re flying from interstate.

At these prices, the commercial pressure to book acts that guarantee ticket sales is enormous. A festival can’t take artistic risks with headliners when the financial model depends on selling 30,000-plus tickets. The creativity happens in the undercard, where booking fees are lower and the risk of an unknown act not drawing is offset by the headliners doing the heavy lifting.

This explains the nostalgia strategy. People buy headliner tickets. They discover undercard acts at the festival itself. The discovery is the value proposition, but the headline names are what moves the tickets.

Comparison With Other Festivals

Splendour’s approach contrasts with some smaller Australian festivals that have taken different paths.

Meredith and Golden Plains continue to curate lineups based almost entirely on artistic merit, with no headliner announcements at all. Their loyal audience trusts the curation. But they’re much smaller events with a different financial model.

Laneway has pivoted toward a younger demographic with lineups heavy on current streaming favourites. It’s working commercially, but the artistic identity feels more diffuse than it used to.

RISING in Melbourne has gone in the most interesting direction, blending music with visual art, performance, and installation work. It’s not really competing in the same space as Splendour, but it’s showing that there’s audience appetite for more adventurous festival programming.

Dark Mofo in Hobart remains the most consistently bold large-scale festival in Australia, though the controversy it courts is part of the brand.

The Diversity Question

Festival lineup diversity has been a running conversation for years, and Splendour’s 2026 announcement will be picked apart on this front.

Gender representation has improved slightly. I’d estimate about 35% of billed acts feature women in prominent roles, up from maybe 25% a few years ago. It’s progress, but it’s still not where it should be given the depth of talent available.

First Nations representation is better than it’s been, with several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists booked across the weekend. This feels less like tokenism and more like genuine recognition of the extraordinary music coming from these communities.

Genre diversity is the strongest it’s been. The days of Splendour as primarily a guitar-music festival are over, and the lineup reflects the breadth of what Australian audiences actually listen to.

Is It Worth Going?

If you’re going for the headliners, maybe wait and see them at a sideshow where you’ll have a better view and pay less. If you’re going for the full festival experience — discovery, community, the chaotic joy of stumbling into a tent and hearing something that changes your week — Splendour is still one of the best places in Australia for that.

My advice: study the undercard. Make a schedule that prioritises acts you don’t know. Leave room for spontaneity. The best festival moments are rarely the ones you planned.

I’ll be there with a notebook and questionable footwear. See you in the mud.