Benalla will once again become Australia’s outdoor street art capital when the Benalla Street Art Festival returns from 17 – 19 April 2026, bringing artists, visitors and locals together to celebrate creativity across the regional Victorian town.
The weekend festival will see 11 new large-scale murals added to Benalla’s renowned open-air gallery, further cementing the town’s reputation as one of the country’s leading destinations for contemporary street art.
Across the weekend, visitors can explore more than 50 exhibitions, talks, installations and community events, with laneways, walls and galleries becoming spaces for creativity, conversation and connection.
This year’s festival welcomes an exciting line-up of artists from Australia and abroad, including Jasmine Crisp, Gus Eagleton, Juzpop, Kitsune Jolene, MadWings, Krimsone, Mattie Davo, Vera Coya and more – each bringing their own distinctive style to Benalla’s evolving street art landscape.
A festival highlight will be the playful HA-HA: Street Art Bushranger exhibition at the Pop-Up Benalla Art Gallery, adding a distinctly Benalla twist to the festival program.
“Public art has the unique ability to shape how we experience place. The Benalla Street Art Festival continues to expand the city’s cultural landscape, inviting leading contemporary artists to engage directly with the urban environment and the community. It’s an exciting platform for artistic dialogue, experimentation and new perspectives,” said Eric Nash, Director Benalla Art Gallery.
Creative Director Simon Grant said the festival continues to grow as both a cultural event and a community celebration. “Each year brings together artists with completely different styles and stories, and the result is a festival that keeps Benalla’s streets constantly evolving,” said Mr Grant.
“What makes the Benalla Street Art Festival special is the community behind it – locals opening their town to artists and visitors from across Australia and around the world.”
The Festival continues its evolution with the expansion of its intellectual engine: the So to Speak creative conference. This year, the forum moves from a fringe event to a central pillar of the festival program, offering a rare deep dive into the mechanics of large-scale cultural production.
Leading the 2026 speaker slate is creative powerhouse RONE, who will pull back the curtain on the logistical and artistic process behind his world-renowned, mammoth-scale installations.
Joining him is multidisciplinary artist Callum Preston, the visionary behind cultural touchstones including the Video Land and Milk Bar exhibitions, providing insights into building immersive, nostalgic worlds.
Adding to the festival’s indoor footprint, Ling , who currently works from the renowned Everfresh Studio, will bring his acclaimed exhibition, The Allure of Gold: All That Glitters, to Benalla. This showing follows a highly successful stint in Melbourne’s Fitzroy and brings a sophisticated, gold-leaf aesthetic to the regional stage.
“So to Speak is about moving beyond the surface of the wall,” says Simon Grant. “By bringing RONE, Preston, and Ling to Benalla, we are offering the public a direct line into the minds of the people currently defining Australian contemporary culture.”
With murals being painted live throughout the weekend, visitors will have the rare chance to watch artworks take shape in real time, meet artists and experience the creative process first hand.
Benalla’s streets already feature more than 90 murals, and the 2026 additions will further expand the town’s reputation as a must-visit destination for art lovers and cultural travellers exploring Victoria’s High Country.
The Benalla Street Art Festival takes place from 17 – 19 April 2026. For more information and full program, visit: www.benallastreetartfestival.com.au for details
Image: Travis Price, Benalla Street Art Mural, 2024 – photo by Holly Hawkins | Friends explore the colourful street art of Benalla – photo by Karen Webb