The Mundi Mundi Bash will go ahead as planned this weekend, but not everyone with a ticket will be able to make it through the gates after heavy rain left parts of the festival site unusable.
Organisers confirmed the sold-out outback festival will proceed at Belmont Station on the Mundi Mundi Plains from today to Saturday (August 22nd), however, patrons holding 1 Day Early Entry or Standard Vehicle Entry passes who had planned to camp onsite or attend as day-trippers will no longer be permitted to enter.
More than 10,000 festivalgoers have already made it onto the site, while the remaining 2 Day and 3 Day Early Entry campers are still eligible to enter.
The decision follows 11 days of rain around Broken Hill, with organisers saying the total is close to – and likely to exceed – the city’s August rainfall record of 74mm, set in 1973. The region had already experienced a particularly wet winter, with double the average rainfall recorded across June and July.
Around 25% to 30% of the Mundi Mundi Bash site is now considered unsuitable for camping, prompting organisers to restrict further entry.
Festival founder and organiser Greg Donovan described the move as “the most gut-wrenching decision I have ever had to make”.
“I make many complex and difficult decisions in my role, but this has been the most gut-wrenching decision I have ever had to make, and it sits heavily on my shoulders,” Donovan said in a statement sent to Rolling Stone AU/NZ on Wednesday evening (August 19th). “I am profoundly saddened and upset that this has happened.”
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The site had initially held up following 42mm of rain on August 8th and 9th, according to Donovan, but further rainfall during the festival’s roll-in period hit already saturated ground. “As a result, approximately 25% to 30% of the site is now unsuitable for camping over the coming days, particularly with the further rain now forecast for Thursday,” he said.
The latest development comes after organisers temporarily closed the festival gates on Wednesday while crews assessed conditions following several days of rain.
Donovan acknowledged the disappointment for those who had already travelled towards Broken Hill or spent months preparing for the sold-out event.
“As an organiser who always puts our patrons first, I have thought deeply about those who were excited to attend and who put so much effort into preparing for and travelling to the festival,” he said. “I understand and empathise with the disappointment, frustration and heartbreak you are feeling. I know exactly how I would feel in the same circumstances.
“While we must now focus on delivering a great, albeit muddy, festival for those onsite, our hearts and thoughts are with everyone who can no longer be here to enjoy the Bash with us this year.”
Affected 1 Day Early Entry and Standard Entry Vehicle Pass holders will be contacted directly by Oztix next week with information about refunds for festival and activity tickets and vehicle entry passes.
For those already onsite and eligible to enter, the festival’s music and entertainment program will proceed as scheduled.
The 2026 lineup is headed by the Teskey Brothers, Jon Stevens, John Butler, Boy & Bear, Baby Animals and Jessica Mauboy, alongside the Whitlams, Leo Sayer, Tim Finn, Mi-Sex, Troy Cassar-Daley, Fanny Lumsden and more.
