Strummingbird has announced Tyler Childers, Sam Barber and James Johnston as additions to its 2026 festival lineup, following Post Malone’s postponement of his upcoming Asia and Australian tours.
Tyler Childers will perform at the Newcastle and Sunshine Coast editions, while Sam Barber will appear at Ballarat. Both performances are Australian exclusives. James Johnston will perform across all three festival dates.
Strummingbird 2026 will take place at Victoria Park in Ballarat on Saturday 10 October, Newcastle Foreshore on Saturday 17 October and Kawana Sports Precinct on the Sunshine Coast on Sunday 18 October.
The three new additions join a lineup featuring Bailey Zimmerman, Cooper Alan, Stella Lefty, Dexter & The Moonrocks, Brad Cox, Cam, Cigarettes @ Sunset, Kaitlin Butts, Noah Rinker, Sons of the East, Briana Dinsdale, Mack Geiger, Max Jackson, Sara Berki, Late Night Riot with Willie Pake, Lewis Love, Loren Ryan and Sammy White, alongside line dancing with Maddison Glover.
Lewis Love is scheduled for Ballarat, Loren Ryan for Newcastle and Sammy White for the Sunshine Coast.
Tyler Childers arrives in Australia following a sold-out Australian run in early 2025. The Kentucky singer-songwriter has received seven Grammy nominations and released his seventh studio album, Snipe Hunter, five months after that Australian run.
Produced by Rick Rubin, Snipe Hunter reached number one on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart and number seven on the all-genre Billboard 200. Its lead single, “Nose on the Grindstone”, delivered Childers his best week on country radio.
Childers’ music draws on Appalachian bluegrass, gospel and folk, with his Strummingbird appearances giving audiences in Newcastle and on the Sunshine Coast the opportunity to hear material from Snipe Hunter live.
Sam Barber will make his Australian debut at Strummingbird’s Ballarat festival as an Australian exclusive. The Southeast Missouri singer-songwriter has accumulated 3.3 billion streams before turning 23.
Barber broke through with his Gold-certified debut album Restless Mind, which includes the 2x Platinum track “Straight and Narrow”. His global breakout “Indigo”, featuring Avery Anna, reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and has accumulated 709 million streams.
His latest album, Broken View, was released in April. The 13-track record was recorded between the Montana mountains and Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond studio and moves between country and rock.
James Johnston will return to Strummingbird for 2026 following audience demand for his inclusion in this year’s festival lineup.
Originally from Wingham on the NSW Mid North Coast, Johnston has built his catalogue around small-town life and Australian country storytelling. His breakout single “Raised Like That” is 8x Platinum, while his sophomore album Where You’ll Find Me was released in October.
The album features “Small Town”, “Country Boys” and “My People”, tracks that have become part of Johnston’s live repertoire. Following performances in the UK and Canada alongside festival appearances, Johnston will perform at Ballarat, Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast.
The festival has also confirmed that fans affected by the Post Malone lineup change can request a refund. Ticket holders can log into their Moshtix account and submit a refund request until 5pm AEST on Thursday 3 September. After that deadline, the refund window will close and requests will be processed.
For those planning to stay for the weekend, camping is available at Ballarat and the Sunshine Coast. MOTM Event Transport will also operate same-day return buses from metropolitan and regional locations for all three festivals.
Strummingbird 2026 is presented by Kicks Entertainment.
The festival will be held on Wadawurrung Country at Victoria Park in Ballarat, Awabakal Country at Newcastle Foreshore, and Kabi Kabi Country at the Kawana Sports Precinct on the Sunshine Coast.
STRUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL 2026
Presented by Kicks Entertainment
Saturday 10 October – Victoria Park, Ballarat, VIC / Wadawurrung
Saturday 17 October – Newcastle Foreshore, Newcastle, NSW / Awabakal
Sunday 18 October – Kawana Sports Precinct – Sunshine Coast, QLD / Kabi Kabi
TICKETS
Tickets are on sale now!
LINEUP
Just added to Sunshine Coast & Newcastle:
TYLER CHILDERS (AUS EXCLUSIVE), JAMES JOHNSTON
Just added to Ballarat:
SAM BARBER (AUS EXCLUSIVE), JAMES JOHNSTON
BAILEY ZIMMERMAN
COOPER ALAN
STELLA LEFTY, DEXTER & THE MOONROCKS
(A-Z) BRAD COX, CAM, CIGARETTES @ SUNSET, KAITLIN BUTTS, NOAH RINKER, SONS OF THE EAST
(A-Z) BRIANA DINSDALE, MACK GEIGER, MAX JACKSON
SARA BERKI, LATE NIGHT RIOT WITH WILLIE PAKE
LEWIS LOVE*, LOREN RYAN^, SAMMY WHITE+
& LINE DANCING WITH MADDISON GLOVER
*Ballarat, ^Newcastle +Sunshine Coast
