The red dirt of far western New South Wales has become the setting for one of Australia's most distinctive music festivals.

The Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash officially runs from Thursday 20 August to Saturday 22 August 2026 on the Mundi Mundi Plains, about 35 kilometres from Broken Hill.

Thousands of people are here already. Early arrivals seem to out number those who head out past Broken Hill for the weekend entertainment. Rain has made things a little difficult but not hopelessly so. The road through Silverton to Mundi Mundi is like a slow moving conga line of cars, vans, caravans, mobile homes and even a NSW Police Mobile Command Centre.

The support staff are very efficient making the arrival process painless even if it is a fairly long process getting to allocated camping spots.

Thousands of people are here. They buy food, buy merch, watch rehearsals on the main stage from outside the boundary fence and just sit around talking.

It is a happy place. People just get on with what they want and stop to say hello quite often. Getting anywhere takes a while because people are keen for a chat.

Mundi Mundi is dog friendly and many visitors can be seen pulling their pets around in those cheap four wheel carts that people take to the beach.

To fill in time, guests can watch each other step around the puddles, watch the Mundi Mundi talent show, catch a helicopter ride around the perimeter of Mundiville or enjoy a camel train ride which is a lot less intimidating than taking to the sky and a lot of fun.

This Wednesday, entry to the festival is paused as staff deal with mud on the access roads in and around the festival site. Access should be available soon but for now guests are advised to stay in Broken Hill until further notice.

The Mundi Mundi app informs guests about roads and entertainment 24/7. https://mundimundibash.com.au/

The festival combines three days of live music with something that is increasingly difficult to reproduce elsewhere: thousands of people camping together beneath an enormous outback sky.

Who is performing?

The 2026 program features 22 acts, with a lineup spanning several generations of Australian music.

Among the performers are The Teskey Brothers, Jon Stevens, John Butler, Boy & Bear, Baby Animals, Jessica Mauboy, The Whitlams, Leo Sayer, Tim Finn, Richard Clapton, Troy Cassar-Daley, Wendy Matthews, The Radiators, Shane Howard and Fanny Lumsden.

That breadth is an important part of the Bash formula. It is not simply a concert aimed at one demographic. Families, younger travellers, grey nomads and dedicated music fans can all find something familiar in the program.

More than a music festival

For many visitors, getting there is part of the event.

Caravans, motorhomes and tents transform the otherwise expansive Mundi Mundi Plains into a temporary outback community known as Mundiville. General admission includes camping, with the length of stay depending on the vehicle entry arrangements.

The event is both all-ages and dog-friendly, adding to its appeal for Australians travelling by caravan or recreational vehicle.

Visitors need to arrive prepared. The site is remote, there is no running water and mobile reception is limited, making adequate drinking water, supplies and appropriate camping equipment particularly important.

Broken Hill shares in the festival

The benefits extend beyond the festival grounds.

Thousands of travellers converging on the region create demand for accommodation, fuel, food, supplies, hospitality and tourism services in and around Broken Hill.

This year the festivities begin even before the Bash. Mundi Mundi Lightfest runs in Broken Hill's Argent Street from 15–17 August, with free evening entertainment including drone shows, lighting installations, local music and street performers.

It effectively extends the Mundi Mundi experience into Broken Hill itself and gives visitors another reason to arrive early and spend time in the city.

An Australian road trip with a festival at the end

That may be the real attraction of Mundi Mundi.

People are not simply travelling to see a collection of performers. They are driving into one of Australia's great outback landscapes, setting up camp and becoming part of a temporary community built around music.

For three days, an enormous stretch of red dirt outside Broken Hill becomes one of the country's most unusual entertainment venues.

And when the final performance ends, the road trip begins again.