Bad news for West Coast country fans: Strummingbird Festival won’t be heading back to Perth in 2026.
After what was widely considered a breakout year in WA, the festival has confirmed via social media that it’s officially pulling up stumps at least for now. And while the announcement was short, it definitely hit.
“PERTH ANNOUNCEMENT
Perth, we're gutted to say Strummingbird won't be heading back out west this year. We had an absolute ripper time with you lot in 2025 but sadly it's not on the cards for 2026.
Strummingbird will be rolling into a new town this year, which we'll be announcing real soon, so keep ya blinkers peeled.”
It’s a bit of a curveball, especially considering how well the 2025 event seemed to land. Between the crowds, the energy and the growing appetite for country music across Australia, Perth felt like a strong fit. So naturally, fans are already asking the big question: why the change?
While there’s no official word on the reasoning just yet, the tease of a “new town” has definitely softened the blow. If anything, it signals that Strummingbird isn’t slowing down, it’s evolving.
Now the speculation begins. Could it be another regional hotspot? A capital city takeover? Somewhere completely unexpected?
For Perth fans, it’s a “see you later” rather than a goodbye, but it still stings. The 2025 edition proved there’s a real audience for this kind of event out west, and hopefully it’s only a matter of time before it returns.
In the meantime, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on where Strummingbird heads next - and yes, we’ve got a few predictions of our own coming very soon.
