In the week before the Mundi Mundi Bash, torrential rain meant that the organisers had to made some fast and difficult decisions. To ease congestion, early bird tickets holders could arrive earlier and set up camp. However, due to the muddy conditions, many were turned away. Still, over 10,000 people still set up camp ready for three days of music and fun.
In support of patrons unable to access the event site due to unprecedented rainfall, the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash – Australia’s biggest outback music festival – rallied to put on a series of free pop-up concerts across Broken Hill and Silverton.
Mundi Mundi Bash Festival Founder and Managing Director of the Outback Music Festival Group Greg Donovan said,
“It was devastating to not be able to get everyone into site because of the ground condition, and we really wanted to do something for the people we couldn’t get onto our festival site. We have 10,000 people out here enjoying the full event line-up, but there were thousands we couldn’t get in despite our best efforts.
“We’ve been blown away by how the performers have jumped in to help us give those who couldn’t make it into site a taste of what we had planned for them out here. Every one of the pop-up gigs have been supported by the artists who are all giving their time for free.
“We’re so grateful for their incredible support, but more importantly we know Bash patrons are loving it. Furnace’s gig last night went off, with more than 1,000 people flocking to the Palace and lifting the roof. And they stayed and partied till 3am.”
The pop-up program kicked off last night with Furnace & the Fundamentals rocking the Palace Hotel with more performances rolling out across the region. The following sets have been confirmed, with further performances to be announced:
- Thursday, 6:30PM @ Silverton Hotel – Shane Howard, Troy Cassar-Daley & Adam Thompson (Chocolate Starfish)
- Thursday, 9PM @ Palace Hotel – Shane Howard & Troy Cassar-Daley
- Friday, 9PM @ Palace Hotel – Hot Potato Band
- Saturday, 9PM @ Palace Hotel – Fanny Lumsden
Back at the bash site, Thursday’s opening event was the Big Blue Day, where thousands of patrons dress in blue attire and wigs created the shape of Australia to raise funds for Beyond Blue and support mental health services across Australia.
Powerhouse Jessica Mauboy hit the stage in the afternoon that helped blow the clouds away. Her infectious energy had the audience singing and dancing along with her. Her cover of “Flame Trees” was emotional and beautiful at the some time and was a highlight.
Leo Sayer is no stranger to the Mundi Mundi Festival and kept the energy levels high. When he sang, “It’s Been Raining in My Heart” he pointed out blue skies on the horizon. His enthusiasm to relive his back-catalogue of songs was infectious and he obviously enjoyed the show as much as the audience did.
Another crowd favourite was The Teskey Brothers. As the evening morphed into a brilliant sunset, the duo and their backing band created a sublime transition to the day. Their guitar work is something to behold.
Closing off the evening’s entertainment, Furnace and the Fundamentals have a chaotic mixup of songs that leaves everyone guessing. From ABBA to Beyonce and everything in between. The highlight of the show is “It’s Raining Men” when dozens of inflatable men are sent out into the audience. These guys know how to party and leave everyone sated before heading back to camp.
The full gallery from John Goodridge is below:
With warmer weather predicted for the next few days, the ground should dry out for the rest of the festival.
EVENT DETAILS
What: 2026 Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash
Where: Belmont Station, Mundi Mundi Plains (9km north of Silverton, 35km north of Broken Hill)
When: 20-22 August 2026
More info & tickets: www.mundimundibash.com.au – SOLD OUT
