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 lineup for 2026 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 banging their heads to American exports Good Charlotte and Machine Gun Kelly. Adding to the mix are nostalgic Brit dance party staples Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Five, along with award-winning country singer Lainey Wilson, ensuring a sizzling summer of music.
Perth’s Growing Appeal as a Music Hub
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 just 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 — remarked on the impressive list of international artists set to perform in Perth over the coming months. “The list of international artists about to hit Perth over Summer and Autumn is phenomenal,” he said.
RAC Arena: A Year of Record-Breaking Events
The multi-purpose RAC Arena has enjoyed its most prolific year for live music to date, according to General Manager Michael Scott. “We’re really pleased to report that our calendar at RAC Arena has returned to pre-COVID levels,” Scott told PerthNow. “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.”
Last summer, the venue hosted 17 event days compared to 32 scheduled for this season. With the return of annual sports events like HoopsFest and the United Cup tennis, music is doing the heavy lifting. Scott highlighted the demand for international acts among local fans, noting that RAC Arena had “never had so many shows reaching capacity as we’ve had over this past 12-18 months.”
“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.”
Optus Stadium: Setting the Stage for Mega Concerts
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 in November and December. Following the 97,000 who witnessed the Aussie legends live, the stadium expects even more will follow for British superstar Ed Sheeran across his January 31 and February 1 shows.
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. Mike McKenna, Optus Stadium chief executive, highlighted Sheeran’s impact out west. “Ed shares a special connection with Australia and Perth,” McKenna said, recalling Sheeran’s historic performances that set attendance records in Western Australia.
New Venues and Future Prospects
It’s not just established venues 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 3,000-capacity venue expected to host 150 performances in its first year. This expansion reflects Perth’s growing status as a key destination for international music tours, promising a vibrant future for the city’s live music scene.
