Perth has been spoilt with riches of world class musical acts touching down in WA every few weeks, but wait until you’ve seen the line-up for 2026.
If it feels as though there’s a world-class musical act touching down in Perth every second week, that’s because it’s true. Over the past two months, Western Australia has welcomed the likes of Mariah Carey, Pitbull, AC/DC, Metallica, Kendrick Lamar, Lewis Capaldi, and Doja Cat. In Grammy terms, that’s a total of 19 awards in nine weeks.
Looking ahead, the 2026 lineup promises even more excitement. Lorde, Chappell Roan, One Republic, Kesha, and Ed Sheeran are the headline pop stars flying west to start the new year, while rock fans will be treated to performances by American exports Good Charlotte and Machine Gun Kelly. Add nostalgic Brit dance party staples like Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Five in the first half of the year, plus award-winning country singer Lainey Wilson, and the summer is only getting hotter.
Perth’s Growing Venue Scene
Those claiming “no one good” ever comes to Perth might need to hold their tongues for the foreseeable future. The numbers, as well as the city’s most prolific live music hosts, tell a different story. Between Perth HPC, formerly Challenge Stadium, and Arena Joondalup, there will be 11 entertainment events or festivals held from January to March. For comparison, the three-month span of October to December 2025 has yielded five at those two venues. Included among the events is the local debut of Froth and Fury, a heavy metal festival hitting Perth HPC in January.
Harvey Lister, President and Chief Executive, Asia Pacific and Middle East, for Legends Global — RAC Arena’s management company — said the “list of international artists about to hit Perth over Summer and Autumn is phenomenal.”
RAC Arena’s Record Year
The multi-purpose venue has enjoyed its most prolific year for live music to date, according to RAC Arena General Manager Michael Scott, and it’s only set to build. “We’re really pleased to report that our calendar at RAC Arena has returned to pre-COVID levels. In fact, we’ve never been so busy with over 90 ticketed events this year from both international artists like Drake, Teddy Swims, and Katy Perry to local legends like Paul Kelly, Kylie Minogue, and Human Nature,” he told PerthNow.
“We’ve never had so many shows reaching capacity as we’ve had over this past 12-18 months.” — Michael Scott, RAC Arena General Manager
Last summer, the venue hosted 17 event days compared to 32 scheduled for this season. With the return of annual sports events in HoopsFest and the United Cup tennis, it’s music doing the heavy lifting.
Optus Stadium and New Developments
Summer at Optus Stadium is also set to get louder, after the city’s highest capacity venue welcomed heavy metal and rock genre-definers Metallica and AC/DC respectively in November and December. Following the 97,000 who squeezed through the gates to witness the Aussie legends live, the stadium expects even more will follow for British superstar Ed Sheeran across his January 31 and February 1 shows.
“Ed shares a special connection with Australia and Perth, with a history that’s particularly meaningful. His March 2018 performance not only marked his first-ever stadium show but also made history as the very first concert held at Optus Stadium.” — Mike McKenna, Optus Stadium Chief Executive
Frontier Touring anticipates the Shape of You singer will draw a whopping 110,000 total fans when his Loop Tour comes to town in the peak of summer.
New Venues on the Horizon
It’s not just venue mainstays reaping the rewards of bigger attendances and increased top-tier tours. The flow-on effect is leading to investment in new live music spots. VenuesWest expects the conceptualized custom outdoor venue Perth Park amphitheatre to be an important addition to its portfolio, housing crowds of between five and twelve thousand.
Meanwhile, multinational entertainment company Live Nation is planning to launch Northbridge Music Hall by the summer of 2026-27, a 3000-capacity venue expected to host 150 performances in its first year.
The Future of Perth’s Music Scene
While unable to bridge the gap between Perth and the east coast, efforts are underway to address the burden of distance so that fans don’t suffer. Perth is becoming a more attractive location to perform than its fellow size or location-challenged rivals. “From our understanding, Perth is a preferred location for touring shows over similar sized cities such as Adelaide,” Scott added. “Our enthusiastic population and market size, world-class facilities, and the State government’s investment into events, allow us to stand out from the others.”
As Perth continues to grow as a live music hub, the city is set to enjoy a vibrant cultural scene that attracts both international stars and local talent, promising an exciting future for music lovers in Western Australia.
