Darwin turned up the volume as BASSINTHEGRASS 2026, the Northern Territory's biggest and longest‑running music festival, took over the iconic Mindil Beach on Saturday, 16 May for another massive day of live music, sunshine and Top End energy.
Close to 12,000 festivalgoers streamed through the gates as a stacked lineup of global heavy hitters, Aussie icons and rising stars lit up three stages across ten hours of non‑stop music. American hip hop powerhouse Denzel Curry and Swedish electronic superstars Galantis were part of a huge bill that also featured homegrown favourites The Living End, Peking Duk, The Teskey Brothers, G Flip, Ball Park Music, Kita Alexander, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
International flavour pulsed through the day with sets from AYYBO (USA), Morty (UK), Oktae (KR), Venjent (UK) and JessB (NZ), while crowd‑pleasers Mallrat, In Hearts Wake, Anna Lunoe, Nina Las Vegas and Maple's Pet Dinosaur kept the energy high from afternoon to sunset.
The festival delivered its biggest program of experiences yet, including the launch of BASS Karaoke, new additions featuring a live band, MC‑hosted performances and crowd‑favourite singalongs. Across the site, returning favourites such as the Clinic34 Chill Out Zone, and the Power & Water Refresh Tent kept crowds moving, hydrated and entertained. A new Glitter and Glo bar, delivered in partnership with Charles Darwin University, proved a standout hit with free hair braiding, colour spraying and hair jewellery created by CDU's talented team.
It was huge weekend for major events in the NT with just over 11,900 locals and visitors turning out for the AFL clash between the Gold Coast SUNS and Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium, adding to the city's vibrant atmosphere. Players and artists made the most of their time in the Top End, enjoying fishing charters, the Darwin Waterfront wave pool, Mindil Beach Sunset Markets and more.
The combined AFL/BASS weekend delivered a strong boost to local tourism, with Darwin's hotel forward occupancy rate sitting around 70%, up 10 points on the same period last year - demonstrating the power of major events to drive visitation and support Territory businesses.
Next on the Territory's major events calendar is the 2026 betr Darwin Triple Crown Supercars Indigenous Round, returning to Hidden Valley Raceway from 19-21 June. Fans can look forward to three full days of championship racing alongside Monster Trucks and SummerNATS shows.
The Territory's colourful events calendar continues with Darwin Cup Carnival, International Test Cricket, Darwin Festival, RedCentreNATS, the adrenaline‑fuelled MXGP of Australia, and the Alice Springs Masters Games.
BASSINTHEGRASS will return to Mindil Beach in 2027, with dates to be announced later this year. To stay up to date and be among the first to receive event announcements, visit [http://bassinthegrass.com.au].
Quotes attributed to Tourism and Events NT Executive Director of Events, Aimee Luxton:
" It has been another incredible day of international, national and Territory acts taking over Mindil Beach. After 23 years, BASSINTHEGRASS continues to champion Australian music and thrive, even as festivals around the country face significant challenges.
"The energy from locals and visitors today shows exactly why this event remains such a powerful and enduring part of the Territory's cultural identity and is a must attend festival on the Australian music scene."
Quotes attributed to Galantis DJ Christian Karlsson:
"It's an absolutely mind-blowing experience. I didn't know anything, but I knew that Australia always, always deliver. I couldn't even imagine how mind blowing this would be.
"Hey, come to Darwin. Darwin is the number one spot."
Quotes attributed to Playlunch lead singer, Liam Bell.
"It's been amazing to be on the lineup with all these other amazing acts, like Ballpark, G Flip, and Ninajirachi, it's been like a dream come true, I can't believe we're here.
"This is amazing with, like, the double stages out front here and everything. I'm not even sure we have stuff like this as good as Victoria.
"We've had some laksa. And it's changed our lives. But also, obviously, people are amazing. The vibes are amazing."
