Holy Sh*t! Parkway Drive Are Headlining Bluesfest 2026

Hold onto your butts, Australia – Parkway Drive are coming home to Byron Bay.

After more than a decade away from their hometown stage, Byron’s most successful band ever have just been announced as headliners for Bluesfest 2026, marking their first ever major festival appearance in Byron and their first hometown show since their high school gigs back in 2014 (!!!)

“This is going to be iconic”

Sharing the news on socials, Parkway wrote: “It’s been more than a decade since we last took the stage in our hometown of Byron Bay. Coming back as one of the headliners of the legendary Bluesfest this April feels like a true homecoming. This is going to be iconic.”

And tbh? They’re not wrong.

The addition of Parkway Drive is a massive left turn for Bluesfest in the best possible way – the festival throwing its arms wide open to heavy music and welcoming one of Australia’s biggest global metal exports back to where it all began.

Festival Director Peter Noble OAM called it a historic moment, reminding fans that Parkway now operate at full arena scale after their 2024 Australian run, adding “That tells you everything you need to know about the scale… This is a major addition to the Bluesfest lineup, and something we are incredibly proud of”.

And for any metal-haters, he added: “We have always believed at Bluesfest that great music is great music, no matter the genre. If metal is not your thing, there are three other stages offering everything else you could want. But I will say this very clearly. Parkway Drive are not to be missed.”

And while Parkway’s hometown return is the headline-grabber, the latest lineup drop is stacked across the board. Neo-soul royalty Erykah Badu will make her first Bluesfest appearance since 2012, and for the first time ever she’ll play back-to-back on the same stage as Earth, Wind & Fire on Good Friday – which honestly sounds like spiritual repair work for the soul.

Meanwhile, reggae icons The Wailers are locked in for a special three-night residency celebrating 50 years of Rastaman Vibration, performing three completely different sets across the festival weekend.

All of this lands on top of an already wild Bluesfest 2026 lineup featuring legends like Split Enz, Sublime, The Black Crowes, Buddy Guy, Counting Crows, The Pogues, Marcus King Band, Xavier Rudd, The Living End and a huge wave of Aussie faves.

Bluesfest 2026 will take over the Byron Events Farm across the Easter long weekend from April 2–5, rising from the ashes after originally intending to shut up shop after its 2025 event.

And with the mighty Parkway Drive now locked and loaded, it’s shaping up to be a big’n.

Cop the full lineup and details down below.