Frankston’s Waterfront Festival flies into view for February return

The bayside location will be back in full swing!

Waterfront Festival is set to roll back into Frankston in early February, bringing two days of live music, summer spectacle and foreshore fun to one of the city’s most scenic stretches of coastline. Running across Friday 6 and Saturday 7 February 2026, the free-entry festival will once again transform the Frankston Waterfront into a buzzing hub of bands, DJs, food trucks, carnival rides and fireworks by the bay.

Waterfront Festival 2026

• Where: Frankston Waterfront
• When: 6 February, 5pm-10pm and 7 February, 12pm-9.30pm

Lineup

• Hockey Dad
• Jack Botts
• Gordi
• Sunshine and Disco Faith Choir
• John Course
• The Gnomes
• Cool Out Sun
• Sunday Lemonade
• Ruby Mae
• DJ Cooper Smith
• Sundance

Keep connected to your live music scene here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Waterfront Festival (@waterfrontfest)

The weekend opens with a Friday night after-work session from 5pm to 10pm, designed for knocking off, heading seaside and easing straight into festival mode. Saturday expands into a full-day affair from midday, wrapping up with a fireworks display lighting up the water after dark. In between sets, the foreshore will be dotted with food trucks, a garden bar and carnival attractions, while the Carlsberg Beach Club returns to Frankston Pier, offering sunbeds, cocktails and European summer energy right on the water.

Early birds can kick things off with the Frankston Swim Classic on Saturday morning, an open-water event featuring 400-metre, 1.2-kilometre and 2.5-kilometre swims, plus a 700-metre kids beach run. From there, it’s a short towel-off before the music and festivities take over.

Leading the 2026 lineup is Windang surf rock duo Hockey Dad, bringing their sun-faded garage sound to the waterfront. Since forming in 2013, childhood friends Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming have grown from coastal favourites into one of Australia’s most dependable live acts, with albums Boronia, Blend Inn and Brain Candy earning gold and platinum status. Their fourth record, Rebuild Repeat, arrived in 2024, continuing a run that’s been fuelled by relentless touring and a fiercely loyal fanbase.

Also high on the bill is coastal folk artist Jack Botts, whose relaxed, heartfelt songwriting has taken him from Byron Bay busker to sold-out rooms around the country. After sharing stages with Tash Sultana and Boy & Bear, and spending much of 2024 touring North America, the UK and Europe, Botts returns home with a live show built for warm nights and open skies. ARIA-nominated singer-songwriter Gordi adds another layer to the lineup, bringing her intimate folktronica and quietly powerful lyricism to the bay. Raised in Canowindra and now splitting time between music and medicine, Gordi has collaborated with artists including Troye Sivan and Bon Iver, and remains one of the country’s most distinctive voices.

Beyond the headline acts, Waterfront Festival leans into high-energy dancefloor moments. Sunshine and Disco Faith Choir will deliver their euphoric blend of house, techno and live gospel vocals, with DJ Sunshine leading the charge alongside a choir known for turning dance floors into full-body experiences. Veteran Melbourne DJ John Course also joins the party, backed by a diverse supporting cast including The Gnomes, Cool Out Sun, Sunday Lemonade, Ruby Mae, DJ Cooper Smith and Sundance.

With surf rock rolling in at sunset, gospel-infused house echoing across the water and fireworks closing out Saturday night, Waterfront Festival has carved out its place as one of the most distinctive free events on the summer calendar. Add a prime foreshore setting and zero ticket barrier, and Frankston’s first weekend of February is shaping up as a lock.

Waterfront Festival 2026 runs at the Frankston Waterfront on Friday 6 February from 5pm–10pm and Saturday 7 February from 12pm–9.30pm. Entry is free.

Find out more about the Frankston Waterfront Festival here.