Australia’s biggest Outback Music Festival the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash was last night awarded Gold for Major Festival & Event at the NSW Tourism Awards.
For an event not yet five years old, the accolade marks a striking ascent. Festival founder and Outback Music Festival Group Managing Director Greg Donovan said he had a mix of pride and disbelief in receiving the award.
“We’re thrilled to receive this Gold Award. We’re the new kids on the block in terms of how long we’ve been around – so to come out on top is a real honour,” Donovan said.
“It feels like only yesterday that we stood in a remote, red dirt goat paddock on the beautiful Mundi Mundi Plains with Kate Ceberano and key Tourism officials to share our vision and officially launch the event – and now here we are with gold-medal recognition. It feels a little surreal.
None of this would be possible without our incredible team, our hardworking volunteers and every Basher who’s been with us since the early days. Thank you from the bottom of our dusty boots. You’re the reason we’re able to keep doing what we do and bringing people together in one of Australia’s most unique festival settings.”
The Mundi Mundi Bash edged out strong competition in a category that included Deni Ute Muster (silver) and Bluesfest Byron Bay (bronze).
Set on the iconic Mundi Mundi Plains, a short drive north of Silverton in Outback NSW, the 2026 festival line-up will see a roster stacked with Australian music legends including The Teskey Brothers, Jon Stevens, John Butler, Boy & Bear, Baby Animals, Jessica Mauboy, The Whitlams, Leo Sayer, Tim Finn, Richard Clapton, Troy Cassar-Daley, Chocolate Starfish, Furnace and the Fundamentals, Wendy Matthews, The Radiators, Shane Howard, Fanny Lumsden, 50 Years of Fleetwood Mac, Hot Potato Band, Tom Busby and Wes Carr hit the remote outback stage.
Across three days from August 20-22 2026, the camping-based all-ages, dog friendly event blends music with eccentric outback colour: world-record attempts, charity fun runs, camel rides, comedy sessions and outdoor cinema drawing a crowd of close to 15,000.
Organisers are developing a new crowd activity to replace the festival’s famous Nutbush world-record dance-off, with details to follow.
Tickets for the 2026 event have been on sale for a month and are already selling fast, with organisers confident they’re heading for another sell-out year.
