Iconic New Zealand band Split Enz will re-form at the two-day event, which will be held at Hagley Park on Friday, February 27, and Saturday, February 28, 2026.
The exclusive performance will mark the band's 50th anniversary and almost 20 years since they last played on stage together.
"This is the most historic booking we’ve ever made - it goes far beyond ‘just another headliner’," said Electric Avenue director Callam Mitchell.
"It’s going to be a cultural landmark event of epic proportions."
Other acts will include international electronic superstar Dom Dolla who has been commanding main stages at Coachella, Creamfields and Lollapalooza this year.
"On the numbers, Dom Dolla is arguably the hottest DJ on the planet at the moment and he’s now a stadium artist in many territories around the world," Mitchell said.
Many of the international acts are performing exclusive New Zealand shows. The 50-plus act line-up will also feature pop artist Kesha, drum & bass group Pendulum, UK band The Streets, British acts Basement Jaxx and Leftfield, UK chart-topper Becky Hill, plus two breakout stars at Coachella this year - Sammy Virji and Disco Lines.
They will be joined by Norwegian electronic innovators Röyksopp and the genre-bending Sudan Archives.
Drum and bass group Pendulum will be performing with their full live band. Originally from Australia, they’ve just released their first album in 15 years, attracting widespread acclaim.
Basement Jaxx will also be performing their live show, with dancers, vocalists, percussionists and even dancing gorillas.
"Their stage-show is a chaotic carnival of colour and is the first time in many years the full live performance has been back on the road globally," Mitchell said.
With an expanded site and the addition of a second main outdoor stage, Electric Avenue 2026 is on track to host 45,000 people a day.
Headliner Split Enz released nine studio albums between 1975-1984, a period which saw them deliver some of the country’s most preeminent pop anthems.
“I don’t know how seriously it was taken, but I think this year is a big year for the band.
“Maybe we just got lucky on the timing, found the right people to talk to, asked nicely, paid a respectable fee and here we are.”
Underlining the event’s knack of defying the generation gap, Split Enz’s fellow headliner Dom Dolla was not even born by the time of the band’s second leg of post-breakup reunion shows.
The 33-year-old DJ is a prolific remixer and has unleashed a slew of dancefloor singles over the past decade.
Last year he was nominated for a Grammy for his remix of the Gorillaz Tame Impala-featuring single ‘New Gold’ and he won an ARIA award in 2020 for his single ‘San Frandisco’.
Like previous editions of the festival, promoters had again accommodated for the more seasoned clubgoer with the inclusion of trailblazing electronic acts like Basement Jaxx and Leftfield, two names that first emerged with vaunted releases in the 90s.
“Well, I sit in that demographic, so it's a bit of a personal one for me,” Mitchell said.
“But you know it's really worked and it's helped broaden the age and demographic of our audience.”
Friday line-up
SPLIT ENZ
Becky Hill • Sammy Virji • Basement Jaxx Live • The Streets L.A.B • Disco Lines • Supergroove • Maverick Sabre • Leisure Obongjayar • Drax Project • Sudan Archives • Corrella • Frank Booker Bret McKenzie & The State Highway Wonders • Dick Johnson & Ribera Frankie Venter • Mim Jensen • Tim Phin • Suune • Pool House • Kennedy • Dream.r
Saturday line-up
DOM DOLLA
Pendulum Live • Kesha • Ocean Alley • Royel Otis • Leftfield Peking Duk • Röyksopp DJ Set • Kora • Jalen Ngonda • Don West Fazerdaze • Dub FX & Tiki Taane • No Cigar • Flamingo Pier DJ Set • Sin & Brook Greg Churchill • Pirapus • There’s a Tuesday • Isaac Chambers & Dub Princess Danica Bryant • Goodwill • Ryan Salt • Pyre & Aragorn • Two Minds • Craiglist
- Electric Avenue presale tickets will be available from noon on Wednesday, September 10. To register, go to forms.gle/FUQtf1RNQ91XgHM4A.
