Sublime, The Black Crowes & Buddy Guy Announce Australian Sideshows Alongside Bluesfest 2026
bluesfest Touring has announced a series of Australian sideshows featuring Sublime, The Black Crowes, and blues legend Buddy Guy, complementing the festival’s 2026 lineup. The expanded tour will bring performances to capital cities and regional centers across the country, offering fans additional opportunities to see these artists.
Sublime will play Melbourne’s festival Hall on April 1, 2026, followed by a Bluesfest appearance on April 2, and a final show at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on April 4. The Black Crowes will perform at The Forum in Melbourne, Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, Newcastle Entertainment Center, and Sydney’s Enmore Theater, surrounding their Byron Bay festival date. Buddy Guy, who will turn 90 in July 2026, is scheduled to play the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Palais Theatre, with his Bluesfest sets perhaps marking his last Australian performances.
Also included in the touring lineup are The Pogues, commemorating the 40th anniversary of their album Rum, Sodomy & the Lash; Marcus King Band, touring Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide; Kenny wayne Shepherd Band, celebrating 30 years of Ledbetter Heights; and Talking Heads’ Jerry Harrison and King Crimson’s Adrian Belew, performing their Remain In Light show with special guest Robert Randolph.
Presale access begins tuesday, November 11 at 11 a.m. AEDT via the Bluesfest Touring website, with general public tickets available from Thursday, November 13. Full details are available at bluesfesttouring.com.au.
The announcement follows bluesfest’s initial 2026 artist lineup reveal and reflects the festival’s recovery and growth since the pandemic. Bluesfest 2025 saw over 109,000 attendees-the largest turnout as 2019-described by festival director Peter Noble as “the third-biggest event we’ve done in the history of the festival.” Noble stated in April, ”We’ve worked hard to get here…We’ve had the highest attendance of any Australian festival as pre-COVID… Festivals are back.”
