Ball Park Music and Unearthed Stars headline NYE On The Hill

THE COUNTDOWN to NYE On The Hill has officially begun with festival organisers unveiling a stellar roster of Australian talent set to ring in the new year at Loch.

Delivering a perfect blend of established indie royalty and explosive new generation hitmakers, the boutique event is shaping up to be the ultimate New Year's Eve party.

Set against the famously picturesque rolling hills of Loch the festival promises a community-focused atmosphere with zero clashes, giving every single attendee a front-row seat to the best live music the country has to offer.

Topping the 2026 bill are none other than Brisbane’s indie-rock icons, Ball Park Music.

Fifteen years into their illustrious career Ball Park Music continue to redefine what it means to be a beloved Australian band. Far from resting on their laurels, the group remains one of the country’s most innovative and emotionally resonant acts.

Festivalgoers can expect a massive, career-spanning setlist. With five ARIA Top 5 albums, multiple platinum-certified singles, and over a dozen triple j Hottest 100 placements under their belt, their performance will be an anthemic celebration.

The band is set to take fans on a journey from the nostalgic indiepop of their breakout debut Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs, through the psych-leaning experimentation of Every Night the Same Dream, right up to the euphoric, crowd-pleasing energy of Good Mood. Their reputation for delivering deeply connective, high-energy live shows makes them the perfect act to guide the crowd toward the midnight countdown.

Joining them on the hill will be northern beaches sweethearts The Rions who arrive at the festival riding a monumental wave of global success. The four-piece band have experienced a meteoric rise since their early beginnings as high school classmates.

After winning triple j’s Unearthed High competition in 2021, the band spent years honing their craft before exploding into the mainstream. They cemented their status as generational heavyweights with the release of their stunning debut album, Everything Every Single Day. The record soared straight to Number 1 on the Australian charts and helped push the band past a staggering 90 million global streams.

Following that record-breaking run The Rions have continued their unstoppable momentum. They will arrive at the festival armed with fresh material from their expanded record, Everything (The Deluxe Edition). Fans can look forward to screaming along to massive, streaming-gold favourites like 'Shut You Out', 'Tonight’s Entertainment', and 'Minivan'.

Adding a heavy dose of sun-drenched, nostalgic rock to the lineup will be Western Australian surf-rock duo Old Mervs. These childhood friends have come a remarkably long way from their humble beginnings rehearsing in a makeshift space inside an old farm shed. The duo kicked things into overdrive with a massive breakout year, snagging the Number 38 spot in the triple j Hottest 100 with their infectious anthem ‘What You've Lost’.

They backed up that singles success by dropping their highly anticipated, self-titled debut album. Recorded alongside ARIA Award-winning producer Chris Collins, the record quickly secured triple j’s coveted Feature Album of the Week. Driven by massive festival-ready hits like "Parched", Old Mervs are guaranteed to bring a high-octane, feel-good energy to the afternoon slots on the hill.

With a stunning location, a fiercely loyal community, and a world-class selection of homegrown talent, NYE on the Hill 2026 is positioning itself as the premier alternative to overcrowded commercial festivals.

Organisers expressed their immense pride in this year's line-up, stating that they couldn't be more excited to share these amazing acts with what they describe as a perfect group of people.

With more acts, ticketing windows, and camping details expected to drop in the coming weeks, music lovers are advised to move quickly. If history is any indication, this perfect mixture of good music, good people, and good times will sell out well before December.