Eight young finalists are preparing to take the stage at the Sandgate Youth Festival after making it through this year’s auditions, bringing a fresh line-up of local talent to Einbunpin Lagoon.
Eight Finalists Emerge From Auditions
Grace Gardiner, NOENDINGVE, On the Ropes, Tyler Haynes, Noise, Jade Clark, Baba Ganoush and Sabrina Rees have been named as the 2026 finalists.
Their selection follows an audition round that invited performers under 25 to seek a place on the festival stage, whether appearing as solo artists or as part of a band.
Applications closed at midnight on 16 August. The successful entrants will now perform live at the September festival and compete for the chance to win a cash prize, with further prize details not specified.
The finalist announcement shifts this year’s event from auditions to the live showcase, with eight young acts now set to perform at one of Sandgate’s familiar community spaces.
Sandgate Youth Festival Returns To The Lagoon
The Sandgate Youth Festival will return to Einbunpin Lagoon on Saturday, 12 September 2026, with the event scheduled from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
The festival has described this year’s program as another showcase of young local talent, placing the selected performers at the centre of the Sandgate event.
Einbunpin Lagoon Park also hosted the festival in 2025. Last year’s program combined its youth music and performance competition with food trucks, street vendors, market stalls, an open-air dance floor and a picnic setting beside the lagoon.
Those activities relate specifically to the 2025 festival and have not been confirmed as part of the 2026 program.
For this year, the confirmed line-up brings Grace Gardiner, NOENDINGVE, On the Ropes, Tyler Haynes, Noise, Jade Clark, Baba Ganoush and Sabrina Rees together at Einbunpin Lagoon, where the Sandgate Youth Festival will run from 4:00 pm until 8:30 pm on 12 September.
Published 28-August-2026
