The programme invites audiences to immerse themselves in bold, artistic expressions of lived experience across gender and sexuality, intersecting histories, cultures, life stages and new ideas. Audiences can look forward to more than 200 events across more than 150 venues across Victoria.
The event traverses visual art, theatre, cabaret, music, comedy, dance, film, literature and digital works alongside sport, family-friendly gatherings and spaces to meet, learn and play.
The 2026 theme is 'Time And Place'. It's an invitation to consider where we've come from, where we stand, and where we are brave enough to go next.
Midsumma champions LGBTQIA+ creativity year-round, welcoming audiences of every age, identity, and ability.
Programme highlights include 'The Placeholder', written by trans playwright and actor Ben MacEllan. It's a six-hander set in a regional Australian town over five years. Plus, 'From Grindr To Blindr', featuring everything from awkward hookups to NSFW bedroom stories, Karan Nagrani is ready to get emotionally naked.
'Garabari' at Meat Market is a reimagined corroboree for today, from Joel Bray. It's a high-energy, interactive, contemporary dance gathering where Wiradjuri song and Byron Scullin’s driving electronic beats set the pace.
Image © Teague Leigh
At the centre of the Venn diagram of queer, chunky, brown woman with the voice of an angel is Milo Hartill, and 'Black, Fat And F**gy'. It's part cabaret, part song-cycle, and part influencer-takeover.
'Sugar' is a hilarious and chaotic deep dive, into the highs and lows of a kept Sugar Baby. Here, Thomáš Kantor performs electric renditions of iconic pop songs by international superstars like Lady Gaga, Chappell Roan, Lorde, Sugababes, and Kylie Minogue.
DIVA is a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating some of history's most provocative, powerful performers. It features more than 250 objects, including 60 spectacular costumes, jewellery, photography, art, and music.
Returning for another year, Night At The Museum from Minus18 will take over the Immigration Museum after dark for another huge event for queer young people. There'll be music, drag, snacks, activities, new friends and exclusive access to view the exhibitions after dark.
“We are living at a unique and pivotal moment in history, a time of shifting sands. As the world faces a rising tide of division and retreat from progress, the need to connect through shared humanity has never been more urgent. The 2026 Midsumma Festival theme, 'Time And Place', reflects these challenges while emphasising the power of connection, to land, culture, and each other,” Midsumma CEO/Creative Director Karen Bryant says.
Check out the full programme.
Midsumma is on from 18 January-8 February.
