Darebin City Council and Darebin Arts’ iconic Darebin FUSE Festival is back for 2026. For ten unforgettable days, creativity across Darebin will be celebrated through back-to-back live music, performances, cultural celebrations, installations, hands-on workshops, film screenings, and immersive art experiences, with free and low-cost events from 5 – 13 September 2026.
Darebin FUSE Festival comprises eight signature programs produced and curated by Darebin Arts’ Festival & Events team to embody the aims and ethos of the festival, as well as 19 FUSE Funded events supported through a community grants program, and a selection of open access events created by artists across the City of Darebin.
Across the breadth of the festival, the Deadly Darebin program is a strand that highlights the innovation and cultural leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives.
Ganbu Gulin: burndap neto!
Darebin Arts Centre and Ray Bramham Gardens: 5 September (1.00 – 4.00pm)
The festival opener and program highlight each year, this year’s Ganbu Gulin is titled burndap neto! or “One Mob: deadly, now!” and celebrates the evolution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts into contemporary practices that are bold, innovative and intrinsically collaborative.
Curated by First Nations Programmer Ethan Savage with Wurundjeri Curatorial Advisor Stacie Nicholson-Piper, Ganbu Gulin is an event for Darebin’s diverse communities to come together and appreciate the artistic and cultural expression of First Nations peoples across music and art.
“With an emphasis on creative and contemporary artistic practice, the theme for Ganbu Gulin and the Deadly Darebin program positions legacies of resistance and empowerment as they manifest in contemporary artistic pursuits, allowing for artists and creatives to embolden their self-determined practices through performance and expression of cultural pride,” said Ethan Savage.
This year, the stage will be transformed by neo-soul powerhouse MO’JU, along with vibrant local indie-rock band Liv & The Dream. MC Kimmie Lovegrove will bring her light-hearted warmth to proceedings, Elijah Money will lead a kids’ bracelet and charm-making workshop, and Aunty Brenda returns with arts and crafts for the whole family.
Visitors will be welcomed onto Wurundjeri Country with a Smoking Ceremony led by Uncle Bill Nicholson, and a performance from intergenerational Wurundjeri dance group the Djirri Djirri Dancers will encourage all attendees to connect with the land that we walk on.
The CUBE presented by Born in a Taxi
Preston Market Carpark: 11 – 13 September
A full weekend of live performance, creative workshops, food, fun and interactive activities is brought together in Born in a Taxi’s site-specific arts space, THE CUBE. Over three days, part of the carpark at Preston Market will be transformed into a vivid hub for Darebin FUSE Festival.
Darebin residents and visitors of all ages are invited to experience the centrepiece, THE CUBE. This freestanding, transparent arts space is set to host a smorgasbord of performances and interactive creative activities over the weekend.
THE CUBE is never the same twice: Born in a Taxi’s visually striking portable arts space is a unique hub for site-specific public programming and has appeared at some of Australia’s biggest arts and cultural events and festivals. Program highlights for THE CUBE:
ENLIGHTEN
Friday 11 September: 7.00 – 8.10pm (full event from 6.00 – 9.00pm)
Joyful, participatory, profound, and playful, Enlighten is a meditation on what unites us. As night begins to fall, light and sound explode from inside a transparent CUBE. Three illuminated angels float through the crowd, drawing observers into playful, interactive rituals before they enter the mysterious CUBE.
L2R Dance Takeover
Saturday 12 September: 11.00am – 2.00pm
Get ready to move! L2R Dance is taking over THE CUBE for an electrifying 3-hour Fam Jam – a celebration of community and street dance. Bringing Melbourne’s West to the North, L2R Dance is a not-for-profit on a mission to make the arts accessible for all.
Un-BEET-able: Kids’ Choir x Preston Market Stallholders Performance
Saturday 12 September: 6.15pm – 7.00pm (full event from 5.30pm – 9.00pm)
A collaboration with Born in a Taxi, Preston Market and Wales St Primary Rock Choir – the ancient art of spruiking meets the voice of the next generation in a cheeky love song to the food that sustains us and the people who bring it to our kitchens.
ECO ART WORKSHOPS with Lynda Roberts, Simulaa, Slow Art Collective and Playte
Sunday 13 September: 11.00am – 3.00pm
Tune your senses into the ecological world through hands-on workshops and interactive demonstrations. Learn earth block making, natural dyeing, urban foraging and deep listening practices with artists, architects, and sustainability practitioners taking inspiring climate action.
Other Festival Highlights:
Rock-A-Bye Baby
Darebin Arts Centre: Friday 11 September – 11.00am
Presented by PBS 106.7FM for Darebin FUSE Festival, Rock-A-Bye-Baby is a low-cost, relaxed, daytime music event for kids and parents, featuring a performance from Cool Out Sun, who bring together good friends, good beats and good vibes. We welcome crawling and expect dancing!
Film Sessions at Thornbury Picture House and Darebin City Hall
Presented by Darebin FUSE Festival and Thornbury Picture House and free for all, the Film Sessions bring together a program of diverse local and international films in a beloved Darebin venue. The program includes a Family Film Day, Multicultural Movie Marathon, First Nations Film Evening, and Festa Italiana.
The Darebin FUSE Festival takes place at various locations around Darebin from 5 – 13 September 2026. For more information and full program, visit: www.arts.darebin.vic.gov.au for details.
Image: Born in a Taxi’s ENLIGHTEN at THE CUBE – photo by Emma-Jane Pirvel Collins