Cross Street Music Festival Drops First Wave Of 2026 Line-Up

Sola Rosa, MELODOWNZ, Borderline, Lilbubblegum, DARTZ and Where’s Jai lead the first announcement for Cross Street Music Festival’s biggest edition yet, taking over K’ Road and Cross Street this November.

Tāmaki Makaurau’s Cross Street Music Festival is back for 2026, with its first wave of artists revealed for Saturday 28 November.

Now in its eighth edition, the independent festival will once again spread across Karangahape Road, Mercury Lane and Cross Street, combining free daytime music, art and community programming with a ticketed evening festival.

The first announcement brings together a broad mix of Aotearoa talent, from hip-hop and electronic music to indie pop, rock and underground sounds.

Leading the line-up are Sola Rosa, MELODOWNZ, Borderline, Lilbubblegum, DARTZ and Where’s Jai.

Sola Rosa brings the groove

Sola Rosa, the long-running project from Auckland producer and songwriter Andrew Spraggon, heads into the festival with more than two decades of music behind it.

Known for blending funk, soul, R&B, hip-hop and electronic production, the project has remained a fixture of Aotearoa’s independent music scene while continuing to evolve sonically.

Its latest era has leaned heavily back towards the dancefloor, making Cross Street a pretty natural fit.

MELODOWNZ brings West Auckland energy

Avondale rapper MELODOWNZ is also on the first drop.

His music mixes sharp lyricism with hip-hop and reggae influences, and his debut album Lone Wolf brought together a particularly impressive guest list — including Denzel Curry, Maxo Kream, Troy Kingi, Bailey Wiley and Diggy Dupé.

It is a line-up choice that gives the festival a strong local identity while still connecting to the wider global rap scene.

Borderline continue their international rise

Tāmaki Makaurau four-piece Borderline arrive with plenty of momentum.

Built around big hooks, funk-driven rhythms and polished indie pop, the band have taken their music well beyond Aotearoa, with appearances at SXSW and The Great Escape, shows in New York and Los Angeles, and a support slot for Teddy Swims on his New Zealand arena tour.

They are exactly the sort of band Cross Street tends to do well: local enough to feel familiar, but clearly on the move.

Lilbubblegum goes from SoundCloud to Cross Street

Lilbubblegum represents a newer generation of internet-born Aotearoa artists.

He began making music on his phone as a teenager before finding an audience through underground SoundCloud scenes.

His track “af1” helped push him into wider attention, and he has since signed with US label Listen To The Kids and collaborated with artists including Yung Gravy, Rico Nasty, Jasiah and SXMPRA.

His inclusion gives the line-up a properly current edge rather than relying only on established festival names.

DARTZ bring the sweat

Wellington’s DARTZ are another major inclusion.

Their live shows are loud, fast and built for crowded rooms, and the band have developed a strong following through relentless touring and a string of acclaimed releases.

After initially talking their way into a support slot for The Chats, they went on to play hundreds of shows, release two chart-topping Flying Nun albums and pick up both a Taite Music Prize nomination and Aotearoa Music Awards recognition.

Album number three is also on the way.

Where’s Jai represent the next generation

Rounding out the featured first-wave names are Where’s Jai, a five-piece pop-rock band from Tāmaki Makaurau.

The group are all 19, with Grace Allis and Leigh Edmeades sharing lead-vocal duties.

Their sound is high-energy, melodic and built around big hooks, with the kind of youthful chaos that works particularly well on a festival stage.

For an event that has always positioned itself as a place where audiences can discover someone new, they make a lot of sense.

Plenty more already announced

The first wave also includes Spell, BBYFACEKILA, Snakelegs, Mokomokai, Spdrtwnbby, Roy Irwin, Great South, Bub Band, Love Language, Beatniks, Magic Factory, Murry Sweetpants, Erin G, Tiger Lotiss, Hales and Noa Records.

More names are still to come.

Festival director Anya Vitali says the event is built around the idea that independent music needs both stages and community.

“Independent music needs places where artists can get on stage, shape their identity, find new audiences and be discovered — but it also needs community,” she says.

“You might come because you know one name on the line-up and leave obsessed with someone you’d never heard before. That’s the fun of Cross Street.”

More than just the ticketed festival

Before the main festival begins at 4pm, Cross Street’s wider programme starts from 12pm with free music, art, installations, performances, activations and kids’ activities across K’ Road and the surrounding precinct.

That daytime programme is free and open to all, while the ticketed section of the festival runs from 4pm to 10.30pm.

The event will also include all-ages programming at the Mercury Stage and other locations around Karangahape Road.

For YOUR EX readers, that wider K’ Road setting is part of the appeal.

The area has long been one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s most visible hubs for queer nightlife, alternative culture, music and creativity, so a festival built around independent artists, public space and community feels very much at home there.

Misery creates the 2026 artwork

This year’s festival artwork has been created by renowned Tāmaki Makaurau artist Tanja McMillan, aka Misery.

The hand-painted 2026 poster depicts The Magician, a Major Arcana tarot card associated with manifestation, resourcefulness and turning ideas into action.

That symbolism fits neatly with an independent festival whose identity is built around making things happen outside the biggest commercial machinery.

McMillan also has a longstanding connection to Karangahape Road, including permanent works created with John Oz that reference some of the street’s lesser-known histories.