Australian Icon Christine Anu to Headline 2026 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival

Christine Anu is set to join the lineup for the 2026 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival!

Christine Anu’s acclaimed career spans more than 27 years and includes 17 ARIA nominations, as well as the platinum-selling album Stylin’ Up. She is best known for her signature song My Island Home, originally written by Warumpi Band, which she performed at the Closing Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Beyond music, Anu’s career spans film, television, and theatre. Her screen credits include appearances in Moulin Rouge! and The Matrix Reloaded, while on stage she has performed in acclaimed productions of Rent and Little Shop of Horrors. Her television roles include appearances in The Alice and Outland.

Her involvement in the 2026 festival is particularly meaningful, as her daughter, songwriter Zipporah, participated in the 2025 festival, performing alongside The Voice winner Chris Sebastian and Golden Guitarist Brad Butcher.

This year, Christine Anu joins an outstanding lineup of award-winning songwriters, instrumentalists and composers, including Mark Sholtez, Francesca de Valence and Karen Jacobsen, with more to be announced.

Supported by the Whitsundays Arts Festival, the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival has been a cultural drawcard for the region since launching in 2022 and was nominated this year in the Queensland Music Awards for Festival of the Year (People’s Choice Award).

Each year, leading Australian songwriters travel to the Whitsundays to take part in a diverse range of workshops and activities designed to nurture talent across the region.

The Songwriting Summit invites local and interstate writers to be mentored by resident artists through immersive masterclasses, skill-building workshops, and a Summit showcase where participants share their work.

The festival culminates in the intimate Concert & Conversation on Saturday, 6 June at the Whitsunday Sailing Club, where resident songwriters perform and share the stories behind the songs created during the residency.

The festival was co-founded by Queensland songwriters Karen Jacobsen and Francesca de Valence to provide regional songwriters with professional development opportunities often only available in major cities.

Since its inception, the festival has hosted an impressive roster of artists including Wendy Matthews, Toni Childs, Vika and Linda, and Graeme Connors.

The Whitsundays Songwriter Festival creative residency runs from 3–7 June 2026, with the Songwriting Summit and Concert & Conversation taking place at the Whitsunday Sailing Club on 6 June. Tickets are available via Humanitix.

The 2026 Whitsundays Songwriter Festival is made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia. The festival is presented in partnership with I Heart Songwriting Club and the Whitsundays Arts Festival.

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