MELBOURNE — The Royal Exhibition Building’s vast dome will host an overnight ambient performance in August. William Basinski’s Somnia is one of more than 150 events crammed into the Now or Never festival’s 2026 program. The festival runs 12 nights, from August 19 to 30.
Its theme is “A Whole New World.” Five double passes are on offer. They unlock access to programs at either the Royal Exhibition Building or Melbourne Town Hall.
That is a small number of passes for a sprawling event. The festival transforms iconic venues with art, music, technology and ideas. At the Royal Exhibition Building, the options are deliberately slow.
Basinski’s Somnia is an overnight ambient piece set beneath the dome. Another option is a celebration of composer Philip Glass.
Orchestra Victoria will perform In the Upper Room. Pianist Maki Namekawa will play a recital of Glass’s Piano Etudes. Then there is the Breath Haus x Now or Never experience.
It offers live music, meditation and a sound bath. The festival calls it a slower, more immersive way to take in the space. Melbourne Town Hall hosts different work.
Chunky Move presents the world-premiere dance work Time Remaining. Also on site is Revivification, an exhibition exploring the legacy of experimental composer Alvin Lucier.
It uses sound, sculpture and biological material. The Town Hall will also host two works in partnership with Arts Korea Lab. Those works blend kinetic sculpture with performance.
The final weekend is given over to music. Three nights close out the festival.
Friday August 28: Club Chuleo brings Latinx dancefloor energy. The lineup includes A.Chal, Slim Soledad, LIZZ, Dinamarca and Zalina. Saturday August 29: Finding Figaro leads an all-night electronic journey.
The acts are Octave One, Sleep D x Hybrid Man, JNETT and Baby G. Sunday August 30: The Closing Night party is a collision of industrial force and rhythmic intensity. Robin Fox, MY DISCO, and Jeho Yun + Kyoungjin So play.
The festival returns for its 2026 edition. The double passes give access to two distinct experiences.
One is at the Exhibition Building. The other is at the Town Hall. Both venues are central Melbourne landmarks.
Both will be transformed. This is not a festival for passive viewing.
The program demands participation. Overnight ambient listening. Meditative sound baths.
Dance works. Kinetic sculpture. The range is wide.
The thread is immersion. Now or Never started as a smaller event.
It has grown. The 2026 edition is its largest yet. The 150-plus events spread across the city.
The festival takes over spaces usually used for other things. The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage site.
Melbourne Town Hall is a civic building. Both will host art that is experimental, demanding, sometimes strange. The double passes are a limited offer.
Five pairs only. They are a way in. For those who get them, the choice is between two very different nights.
Basinski’s ambient drone under the dome. Or Chunky Move’s dance premiere at the Town Hall.
The Breath Haus sound bath. The Alvin Lucier exhibition. The music nights.
The festival runs from August 19 to 30. The passes unlock the program at one venue or the other.
The theme is “A Whole New World.” The festival is trying to create one. Whether it succeeds depends on the audience. The art is there.
The venues are ready. Now or Never is asking Melbourne to show up.
