With one week until the gates open, DINGO Music & Arts Festival has unveiled the full program for its inaugural edition, running 8–11 October across Bangalow and Byron Bay.
Joining a bill led by Hiatus Kaiyote, Kokoroko (UK), Rich Medina (US), Coco Maria (MX), Nai Palm, Miss Kaninna, Harry James Angus and Barney McCall, the program additions cover everything happening between and around the live music sets: a Bundjalung-led bush banquet, ambient sets paired with tea ceremonies, a town-wide art takeover, talks, a record made and pressed in a week, a Saturday afterparty and a free all-ages community day on Sunday.
Dancefloor favourites Close Counters, bringing their live band to the A&I Hall on Saturday, lead the new music additions alongside Steve Spacek, Sampology, Allysha Joy, Das Druid, Finn Rees, Setwun x Hugh B, Biscuit (Good Morning Tapes), Inkswel, Cracked Suzies and percussion virtuoso Greg Sheehan’s new band The Life Of My Time. Newly announced local artists and ensembles include Mohilaa, Versace Boys, Robert McDougal, The Seeding, Cosmic Seed, Mondo Hum, Mylee Grace, Tropicales and the Northern Rivers Conservatorium Youth Jazz Orchestra alongside a host of choirs gathering for Sunday’s Big Bang.
Festival Director Si Jay Gould said “DINGO is a chance to reinvent what a festival can be in this region – to reimagine how our towns can be used as stages, and how different art forms can be woven together. We believe a festival should be more than music sold as a commodity. It’s an invitation to listen, imagine and learn with one another on Bundjalung Country, and to treat culture as essential to the health of a community. We’ve brought together a program of world-class artists from both the Northern Rivers and around the world with the audacious goal of creating a new paradigm – a festival that inspires across generations, challenges preconceived notions and transcends expectations”
Beyond the music, DINGO will turn Bangalow into a town-wide gathering of food and art. On Friday, Bundjalung chef Mindy Woods of Karkalla leads THE BUSH BANQUET, a long-table meal at The Lumber Yard built around native ingredients, Country and culture, with proceeds supporting The Returning. On Saturday, THE SALTY MANGROVE hosts a communal banquet at the Moller Pavilion, with music woven through the evening.
Between the sets, the arts program moves through town as much as the music does. There is serial theatre from Anouska Gammon & Co, mobile hip-hop cyphers, a camera obscura and deep-listening room in Piccabeen Park plus installations and performance works across the precinct. The A&I Hall mezzanine becomes Loco Love’s HEAVEN, a world of clouds, angels, chocolates and harp from Lake Kelly, while talks at NOWE Studio look at rhythm, culture and creativity in the Northern Rivers.
DINGO also reaches beyond the stage with the DINGO Vinyl Project. Frollen Music Library is recording instrumental songs at SAE in the days before the festival. Collaborating producers will then build new tracks and remix from them and Suitcase Records has been handed the challenge of pressing a limited run of 300 records in time for Sunday’s closing party, with SAE students documenting the process on film.
DINGO opens at the Great Northern Hotel in Byron on Thursday, then moves to Bangalow on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before heading back to Byron for the closing party at the Beach Hotel on Sunday night. The opening and closing parties are ticketed separately from the Bangalow Festival pass, day tickets are available and Sunday’s community day is free.
DINGO is shaped by multiple curators, each bringing a different facet and perspective to the event, including La Sape Records, Musical Bonanza, EMOM: Northern Rivers, Flo Records, Main Arm Records and Mangrove Symposium. The Northern Rivers team is led by Festival Director Si Jay Gould, with arts programming by Dr Stuart Grant and food and beverage curation by local partners. Production is led by Moniker Audio in collaboration with SAE students.
Here’s the full rundown of how the program will roll out day by day. Four days, two towns.
TICKETS & ACCESS
Make a weekend of it or choose your day. Friday and Saturday tickets open up DINGO’s ticketed Bangalow music venues; Sunday’s Big Bang is free and all ages. The Thursday opening show with Kokoroko at the Great Northern Hotel, Saturday’s late-night afterparty at Paradiso and Sunday’s closing show with Hiatus Kaiyote at the Beach Hotel are separate ticketed events. The Friday Bush Banquet and Saturday Mangrove Symposium Banquet are booked separately. Earth Tones has limited places and requires an RSVP. Find tickets and the latest program at dingofestival.com.
Thursday 8 October | Opening party | Byron Bay
The Great Northern Hotel · ticketed · from 7pm
DINGO begins by the sea with Kokoroko’s first Northern Rivers show. Dai Hovey and Mike Gurrieri set the scene before the London band brings its mix of jazz, Afrobeat and soul to the Great Northern.
Friday 9 October | The cerebral boogie | Bangalow
Bangalow festival precinct · ticketed · 5:45pm–11pm
Friday spreads across the town’s halls and smaller rooms.
At the A&I Hall, Benjamin Walsh Quartet, Allysha Joy, Don Glori and Barney McAll Trio lead the live program. La Sape Records takes over Bangalow RSL with Standing Circle, David Versace & Horatio Luna. Hot Mess Club brings its own world to Scout Hall, while Kool Breeze & The Trees (Babe Rainbow side project), Biscuit (Good Morning Tapes) and Andras move through Moller Pavilion. NOWE Studio hosts the Culture Is Not An Industry discussion at 7pm, and at The Lumber Yard, Bundjalung chef Mindy Woods leads the separately booked Bush Banquet.
Saturday 10 October | Day into night | Bangalow, then Byron Bay
Bangalow festival precinct · ticketed · noon–11pm
Start in Bangalow and follow the music between rooms. Nai Palm, The Life Of My Time, Finn Rees, D.D. Mirage and Close Counters take the A&I Hall stage, with Coco Marie and Sampology on its DJ stage. At the RSL, Musical Bonanza’s takeover moves from Das Druid and Cracked Suzies into Helen Franzmann & Nick Huggins, Tralala Blip, YL Hooi and Zac Stars. The Scout Hall hosts Clever Austin, Cazeaux O.S.L.O, Hot Mess Club and Steve Spacek; The Salty Mangrove’s separately booked banquet unfolds at Moller Pavilion. And at Nu Wavu Studio, Earth Tones pairs listening and ceremonial tea in limited-capacity, RSVP-only sessions. Talks and workshops run at NOWE Studio throughout the day.
AFTERPARTY at Paradiso Music Room, Byron Bay, 9pm–3am
Lank Funk aka Millie & Sammy Soe plus Edd Fisher & Friends going back-to-back with fellow festival artists.
Sunday 11 October | The Big Bang | Bangalow, then Byron Bay
Bangalow · free, all ages · noon–6pm
On Sunday, DINGO opens out into a free community day: choirs, parades, dance, a record fair and music across Bangalow. Join the Big Bang Choir workshop at the A&I Hall at noon, then hear Harry James Angus’ Sunday Gospel there at 1:30pm and 3:30pm. EMOM: Northern Rivers brings six hours of electronic music to the RSL. The party moves into full colour with Tropical Fiesta at The Lumber Yard from 2pm, featuring Mexican DJ and selector Coco Maria. Expect a warm, outdoor celebration of tropical sounds, sunshine and dancing, drawing on the same loose, communal energy that has made previous Flo Records parties and events such as Pachyman and Flo’s third birthday such memorable Northern Rivers gatherings.
For those looking to dance their way through Sunday, The Lumber Yard is the place to head. BAYFM multi-cultural programming broadcasts from NOWE Studio from 2pm, while the town fills with roaming performances, workshops and family-friendly activity.
CLOSING PARTY at the Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, 6:30pm–11:30pm
Three-time Grammy nominees Hiatus Kaiyote joined by recent 5 x ARIA nominee rap sensation Miss Kaninna, local hip hop hero Mr Rhodes and dancefloor specialist DJ Rich Medina (US).
KOKOROKO (UK) • HIATUS KAIYOTE • MISS KANINNA
ALBRECHT LA’BROOY • ALLYSHA JOY • ANDRAS • BARNEY MCALL TRIO • BENJAMIN WALSH QUARTET • BISCUIT (GOOD MORNING TAPES) • CAZEAUX O.S.L.O • CLEVER AUSTIN • CLOSE COUNTERS • COCO MARIA (MX) • CONOR ALEXANDER TRIO • COSMIC SEED • CRACKED SUZIES • D.D. MIRAGE • DAI HOVEY • DANIKA • DAS DRUID • DAVID VERSACE • DINGO BALEARICO • DON GLORI • EARTH TONES • EDD FISHER & FRIENDS • EMOM: NORTHERN RIVERS • FINN REES • FLO RECORDS DJs • HARRY JAMES ANGUS’ SUNDAY GOSPEL • HELEN FRANZMANN & NICK HUGGINS • HORATIO LUNA • HOT MESS CLUB • INKSWEL • KOOL BREEZE & THE TREES • LA SAPE RECORDS • LAKE KELLY • LANK FUNK AKA MILLIE & SAMMY SOE • MIKE GURRIERI • MINKYS • MOHILAA • MONDO HUM • MR RHODES • MUSICAL BONANZA • MYLEE GRACE • NAI PALM • NOISE XHURXH • PHILLAGE SOUNDS • RICH MEDINA (US) • ROBERT MCDOUGALL • SAMPOLOGY • SETWUN X HUGH B • STANDING CIRCLE • STEVE SPACEK • THE LIFE OF MY TIME • THE SEEDING • TRALALA BLIP • TROPICALES • TUPINIQUIM • UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE • VERSACE BOYS • YL HOOI • ZAC STARS • BIG VOICE CHOIR • RAISE THE ROOF CHOIRS • MULLUMBIMBY MARITIME SOCIETY CHOIR • NEIGHBOURHOOD CHOIR • DINGO CHOIR • NORTHERN RIVERS CONSERVATORIUM YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Plus artist conversations • workshops • performance art • sound installations • community events • banquets • recording project • BAYFM live broadcast
VENUES
Bangalow: A&I Hall, Moller Pavilion, The Lumber Yard, Scout Hall, Bangalow Showgrounds, Bangalow RSL, NOWE Studio (box office), Nu Wavu Studio, Flo Records, Remote Projects, Ciao Mate, You Beauty Balcony, Lions Club Kiosk, Station Street Co-op, Piccabeen Park, The Old Horse Stables, Common People Brewery
Byron Bay: The Great Northern Hotel (Thursday), Paradiso Music Room (Saturday), Beach Hotel (Sunday)
DINGO Music & Arts Festival
8–11 October 2026
Bangalow & Byron Bay, NSW
Tickets, full program and venues: dingofestival.com
