RISING Unveils Final Wave of 2026 Program

Just when you thought it couldn't get bigger, Melbourne's premier festival of culture explodes with more program additions.

As RISING draws near, Melbourne’s festival of contemporary art, music, dance and ideas unveils its final wave of programming, promising an immersive city-wide experience from 27 May to 8 June. The additions expand the festival beyond theatres and galleries, spilling into squares, bars, and restaurants, inviting audiences to linger, gather, and celebrate art at every hour.

“When the temperature drops, it signals that RISING is about to kick off and the final layer of the program is unveiled.” said RISING Artistic Director and CEO Hannah Fox. “Free art after dark, fresh live music, late-night dining and artist-led conversations, clubs and lounges  create even more doorways into the festival’s expansive program of new art, stories, music and dance.”

RISING 2026

When: 27 May – 8 June 2026
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MIDÉEGAADI: Opening Weekend at Fed Square

Fed Square becomes an open-air canvas for Midéegaadi, a monumental projection and sound work by Native American artist Cannupa Hanska Luger. Originally presented in New York’s Times Square, the work envisions the regeneration and return of the North American bison within a speculative world. For RISING, Luger reimagines the piece for Naarm on Wurundjeri Country, weaving First Peoples’ global interconnections through dance, custom, and Indigenous futurisms.

From 28–30 May, Midéegaadi transforms Fed Square into a city-scale gathering, while simultaneously illuminating the Hamer Hall façade as part of Calling Country: The Land Speaks Back, paired with large-scale projections by Djirri Djirri Women’s Dance Group. Visitors can sink into beanbags or deck chairs, warming themselves with hot drinks as the multi-channel video work animates the square, creating a shared communal experience beneath the city lights.

The immersive experience continues around the senses: First Nations cuisine by Killara Foundation celebrates Blak hospitality with native ingredients at a reimagined sausage sizzle, while ACMI extends its hours for The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, offering $10 tickets after 5pm for those moving between exhibition and square-wide spectacle. Following opening weekend, Midéegaadi remains a luminous presence on the Hamer Hall façade, continuing to pulse across the city for the festival’s duration.

Sapporo Supper Club: Chīsai 小 — The World’s Smallest Ramen-Ya

Fed Square also hosts Chīsai 小, a rare, intimate dining experience from Sapporo. Running Thursday to Saturday across both weeks, this “world’s smallest ramen-ya” invites pairs to savour Hokkaido-style ramen and perfectly poured Sapporo in 30-minute sittings, set within a low-lit, minimalist space designed for focus and connection.

The journey begins in The Waiting Room, where guests sip Sapporo Premium Lager or the rare Sapporo Black, accompanied by Japanese bar snacks by Mr Miyagi, before stepping into Chīsai’s intimate world. With strictly limited seating, the experience is as much about anticipation and ritual as it is about flavour.

Moon Bites: Late-Night Citywide Dining

Returning in 2026, Moon Bites connects a curated constellation of restaurants, bars and venues across Melbourne. Post-show bites, bespoke menus, and festival-exclusive experiences invite audiences to extend their nights across the city.

From moon-inspired martinis to jasmine lychee cream mooncakes, participating venues offer “whole solar systems of flavour.” Cathedral Coffee and Frozen Cola explore Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan-inspired desserts; Melbourne Supper Club joins Melbourne Gin Company for The Midnight Martini, paired with Kirk’s Wine Bar’s cult-classic Pig’s Head Doughnut; while Bottega, Mr Mills, Boire and Aru offer their own celestial culinary interpretations, spanning crab ravioli, wood-fired Mauritian flavours and Southeast Asian-inspired lunar snacks.

RISING Artist Bar: Wax Music Lounge After Dark

At the festival’s heart, the RISING Artist Bar transforms Wax Music Lounge into a nightly hub for artists, audiences, and industry. Open Wednesday to Sunday, the space flows from early evening meetups with the jazz-infused RISING Blue Lobster Band to late-night sets spanning rock’n’roll, punk, pop, and techno.

Highlights include performances from Betty Grumble, Dimmy Charms, Synergy Trilogy, Tripping Ballz and Maxine Funke, alongside DJs Sofay, Hip Hop Hoe, Mikey Young, YL Hooi, Faux Rabbit and Bridget Small. Pop-up markets, surprise acts, and a closing-night karaoke takeover ensure the bar remains a living, breathing festival microcosm, where performers and audiences converge until the early hours.

Talks, Film and Ideas

RISING’s expanded program of talks and post-show conversations deepens engagement with the festival’s standout works. Panels explore sovereignty, sonic resistance and sound on Country, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon, artist Hayden Ryan and RISING Senior Curator Kimberley Moulton. Free talks at City Square celebrate First Peoples’ voices, anchored around Kent Morris’s commissioned artwork Flower Power.

ACMI complements the lineup with Selector: Kahlil Joseph, a film program from 4–23 June presenting music-centric, globally resonant works including Born in Flames (1983), Neptune Frost (2021), and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), framed by Joseph’s rarely screened director’s cut of Beyoncé’s Lemonade.

Across theatres, ballrooms, basements, and public spaces, RISING 2026 promises more than 100 events, including Florentina Holzinger’s incendiary A Year Without Summer, The Royal Family Dance Crew’s Fed Square takeover, Land of 1000 Dances at Flinders Street Station, and Day Tripper’s multi-room music marathon. Melbourne becomes a city of converging rhythms: from cathedral to club, ballroom to basement, weaving new art, stories, music and dance into every corner.

Discover the full RISING festival programming here.