Yours & Owls has confirmed it is returning in 2026.
Held in Wollongong, NSW, the two-day festival has confirmed its dates for later this year – returning October 3rd and 4th. “We’re back baby! We’re back,” the festival said in a press statement.
Since launching in 2014, Yours & Owls has grown from a boutique gathering of around 2,000 attendees into a major event drawing tens of thousands each year.
It has built a strong reputation as one of the country’s leading festivals, with past lineups featuring the likes of the Preatures, Gang of Youths, BENEE, the Jungle Giants, Courtney Barnett, Denzel Curry, the Goo Goo Dolls, the Kooks, Fontaines D.C., and many more.
Recent editions have seen the festival evolve both in scale and infrastructure, with the move to larger coastal sites like Flagstaff Hill and the introduction of multiple stages, art installations and expanded food offerings enhancing the overall experience.
Last year’s festival also made history as the first NSW-based music festival to trial pill testing. Festival goers were given access to a free service run by a government agency, led by qualified staff from NSW Health, to test their pills for purity, potency, and adulterants. Previous festivals with the green light to test gear had done so with programs run by private companies or NGOs.
103 people used the service with 80 samples tested. Health Minister Ryan Park described the trail as “really positive” following the festival.
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The 2026 return will be welcome by many, with several other festivals slated for this year cancelled, including FISHER’s OUT 2 LUNCH and Rolling Loud, due to mounting financial and operational pressures in recent years.
More details, including dates and lineup, are expected to be announced in the coming months. Sign up to Yours & Owls’ mailing list here.
