Brisbane’s riverfront is set to become Australia’s newest major live music destination when On The Banks, a fresh outdoor concert series, launches in March 2026. The Cultural Forecourt at South Bank will transform into a riverside music hub for three weeks from 1 March to 22 March, presenting a lineup of international heavyweights and Australian icons across hip-hop, alternative, pop, garage, folk, R&B and more.
The event is a collaboration between Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and South Bank Corporation, designed to activate Brisbane’s waterfront with live music, food and culture. With the city skyline as its backdrop and bars and catering on site, On The Banks aims to deliver balmy summer evenings and world-class performances in a distinctly Queensland setting.
Across the month, audiences will experience legendary hip-hop innovators De La Soul, UK trailblazer Mike Skinner as The Streets, Australian star Bernard Fanning, TikTok-powered pop phenomenon Peach PRC, New Zealand songwriter Marlon Williams, and the nationwide sensation DISCO CLUB. A one-day Punjabi cultural celebration, Blockbuster, will also debut in Queensland, bringing a curated bill of artists from India and Pakistan.
Further Australian and international acts will be revealed in early 2026.
On Sunday 1 March, On The Banks opens with Droppin’ Science, a celebration of hip-hop culture. De La Soul headline the night, armed with more than three decades of influence since reshaping rap with their landmark 1989 debut 3 Feet High And Rising. Their playful lyricism, sample-rich production and genre-bending creativity laid the groundwork for alternative hip-hop, long before the mainstream caught up.
Joining them is Washington DC rapper-producer Oddisee with his live band Good Compny, bringing soulful grooves and socially conscious storytelling. Proud Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali artist Miss Kaninna completes the lineup. A rising voice in Australian music, she made history as the first independent Aboriginal woman nominated for an ARIA for a single and has carved a lane blending hip-hop, R&B and neo-soul with a bold First Nations perspective.
Mike Skinner returns to Australia as The Streets on Friday 6 March to perform his breakthrough album A Grand Don’t Come For Free live in full for the first time in Brisbane. Released in 2004, the album reshaped UK garage and hip-hop with raw spoken-word storytelling and hits including Blinded By The Lights and Dry Your Eyes.
With a reputation for electrifying live shows and a catalogue that shaped modern British music, Skinner’s Brisbane appearance is set to be one of the standout events of the series.
A National Phenomenon Celebrates International Women’s Day Weekend
Saturday 7 March sees the arrival of DISCO CLUB, the grassroots movement-turned-cultural powerhouse created by Queensland media duo Lise Carlaw and Sarah Wills.
DISCO CLUB has become a sell-out sensation across the country, bringing thousands of women together to relive the joy of dance floors from the 80s to today. Their On The Banks appearance marks a major hometown celebration for International Women’s Day weekend.