Blue Mountains stages Lyrebird Festival from 12 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 13:55 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFestival programme and World Heritage setting
- The Bowerbird Collective presents the festival in Megalong Valley from 12 November 2026.
- Music, art, talks and nature walks connect the programme with the valley landscape.
- Greater Blue Mountains Area joined the World Heritage List in 2000.
- Katoomba area forms the heart of Blue Mountains National Park near the festival region.
Blue Mountains stages the Lyrebird Festival in Megalong Valley from 12 to 15 November 2026. The programme brings music, art, talks and nature walks to a landscape within the wider Katoomba region.
Lyrebird Festival brings four days to Megalong Valley
The festival begins on 12 November 2026 and runs through 15 November 2026 in Megalong Valley, New South Wales. The event is presented by the Bowerbird Collective, which also founded and directs the festival.
The programme combines concerts, conversations, film screenings, art installations and nature-based activities. The listed performers include the Bowerbird Collective, Lior, Joseph Tawadros, Alice Morgan, Ronan Apcar, Mindy Meng Wang and Lotte Betts-Dean. The programme also includes food and wine elements alongside its artistic and environmental themes.
The festival organiser says the 2026 edition brings together art, science and conservation. Its schedule uses several locations in Megalong Valley, including the festival hub at 853 Megalong Road and programme sites at 879 Megalong Road and 217 Aspinall Road. The 2026 festival programme lists activities across all four days.
Megalong Valley links the programme to the protected landscape
Megalong Valley gives the festival a setting shaped by bushland, sandstone country and native wildlife. The tourism authority describes the lyrebird as an Australian species able to imitate the calls of many other birds, making the animal a direct link between the event name and its conservation focus.
The wider destination is anchored by the Greater Blue Mountains Area, a World Heritage property covering 1 million hectares of national park and wilderness. It includes temperate eucalypt forest, sandstone cliffs, slot canyons and waterfalls. UNESCO recognised the area for its geological, biodiversity and Aboriginal significance in 2000, according to NSW National Parks information.
This setting gives the Lyrebird Festival a specific relationship with the destination rather than making it a standard indoor concert series. Nature walks and discussions about wildlife sit alongside performances, while the valley itself supplies the physical backdrop for the programme. The connection is especially clear in activities that combine music, natural history and conservation.
Katoomba provides the regional base for Blue Mountains visits
Katoomba area is the heart of Blue Mountains National Park and includes Echo Point, the Three Sisters and views across the Jamison Valley. NSW National Parks also identifies walking routes, waterfalls and lookouts around Katoomba and Leura, giving visitors a choice of landscape experiences beyond the festival sites.
The park authority describes the Greater Blue Mountains as a network of eight national parks and reserves. Katoomba sits within the visitor corridor of this World Heritage setting, while Megalong Valley provides the festival venue. That geography places the event in a region where cultural programming and protected landscapes meet.
Visiting Blue Mountains: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Lyrebird Festival runs from 12 November 2026 to 15 November 2026 in Megalong Valley, with venues including 853 Megalong Road, 879 Megalong Road and 217 Aspinall Road.
- The programme includes concerts, talks, film screenings, art installations and nature walks, so visitors should check the organiser for the location of each activity.
- Katoomba is the regional reference town, and NSW National Parks directs drivers from Sydney towards the area via the M4 and Great Western Highway.
- Blue Mountains National Park includes steep descents, cliff edges, walking tracks and the historic Giant Stairway, so some activities require care on uneven or stepped terrain.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Blue Mountains on social platforms
These links open searches for Blue Mountains on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Blue Mountains
When does the Lyrebird Festival take place at Blue Mountains?
The Lyrebird Festival runs from 12 November 2026 to 15 November 2026 in Megalong Valley.
What is the Lyrebird Festival at Blue Mountains?
It is a four-day programme of music, art, talks, film screenings and nature walks presented by the Bowerbird Collective.
Where is Blue Mountains and how do you get there?
The destination is in New South Wales, with Katoomba at the centre of the national park visitor area. Drivers from Sydney use the M4 and Great Western Highway towards Katoomba.
