Now or Never 2026

For 12 winter days and nights, Now or Never will once again take over Melbourne with a program that brings together creativity, technology and culture. Returning from August 19 to 30, the City of Melbourne’s multi-award-winning festival is back for its fourth year with a sprawling line-up of more than 150 events, experiences and installations spread across some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.

This year’s theme, A Whole New World, explores the ways immersive technologies, artificial intelligence and digital storytelling are reshaping the way we experience art, knowledge and each other. Expect large-scale public artworks, cutting-edge audiovisual performances, thought-provoking talks and participatory experiences that blur the boundaries between technology and ritual, reality and imagination.

Among the program highlights is Somnia: William Basinski / Bendik Giske, where Basinski plays the Disintegration Loops as part of an overnight sleep concert beneath the dome of the Royal Exhibition Building. The experience also features a solo from Norwegian musician, composer and saxophonist, Bendik Giske. The same historic venue will also host Japanese pianist Maki Namekawa performing Philip Glass’s celebrated Etudes, as well as The Breath Haus x Now or Never, which combines live music, meditation and breathwork in a deeply immersive sensory experience. Elsewhere, free public installations will transform the Yarra River / Birrarung with projections, light works, mist interventions and interactive experiences.

Melbourne Town Hall becomes a festival hub with Robin Fox’s laser-and-sound spectacle Presence, Chunky Move’s world-premiere dance work Time Remaining, and a three-night music program spanning club sounds, experimental electronics and audiovisual performance. Highlights include a Chuleo Club-curated night featuring A.Chal, Dinamarca, LIZZ, Slim Soledad and Zalina; a Finding Figaro showcase headlined by Detroit techno pioneers Octave One alongside Sleep D x Hybrid Man, DJ JNETT and Baby G; and a closing night led by Robin Fox, post-punk experimentalists My Disco, and Korean artists Jeho Yun and Kyoungjin So.

The festival’s talks program tackles everything from AI and digital culture to music criticism and the internet’s hidden histories. Highlights include Derrick Gee’s Radio Hour, a live edition of the beloved show hosted by the New York-based writer, DJ and cultural commentator. Returning favourites like Library Up Late and Queer Powerpoint round out the program.

And that’s only the beginning. Browse the full program and get your tickets here.

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