BALINEWSID.COM, BADUNG — AXEAN Festival 2026 is set to take over Bali on August 29–30, bringing together around 220 music industry delegates from various countries. Held at Jimbaran Hub, the festival aims to connect Southeast Asian musicians with the global music industry.

AXEAN Festival Co-Founder Satria Ramadhan said the event grew out of concerns raised by Southeast Asian music industry players during a meeting at Bangkok Music City in 2019.

According to Satria, Southeast Asia is home to a wealth of talented musicians, but many have yet to receive sufficient exposure in international markets.

“Our concern was that we were afraid the world would not recognize that Southeast Asian music is good,” Satria said during the AXEAN Festival 2026 press conference in Bali on Wednesday (August 26, 2026).

The press conference also featured representatives from several Southeast Asian countries, including Piyapong M from Thailand, Kanita Sichantha from Laos and MC Galang from the Philippines.

The 2019 meeting led to the creation of the ASEAN Music Showcase Festival initiative, which was first held in 2020. The first two editions were conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The festival later returned as an offline event in Singapore for two years before moving to Bali in 2024. This year marks the third AXEAN edition in Bali and the seventh edition overall.

Bali was chosen strategically to attract more international delegates. In addition to participating in music industry programs, delegates can also explore the island’s tourism destinations.

The number of delegates is expected to increase to around 220 this year, compared with approximately 170 delegates in the previous edition.

AXEAN will also welcome delegates from outside Southeast Asia, including Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia and Canada.

Around 49 artists are scheduled to perform, with 17–18 of them coming from Indonesia. The Indonesian lineup includes Darboy Gang, The Massive, Josubono, Yogyakarta-based Babon, Given from Ambon and Ailea from Makassar.

Satria emphasized that artist selection is not based solely on popularity. Musical quality and an artist’s readiness to enter international markets are among the key considerations in the curation process.

Other Southeast Asian artists scheduled to perform include MASDO and Pitahati from Malaysia, PLAYERTWO from the Philippines, Subsonic Eye from Singapore, and Yellow Fang and INSPIRATIVE from Thailand.

Unlike conventional commercial music festivals, AXEAN positions itself as a showcase festival designed to introduce artists directly to music industry professionals. The delegates include festival promoters, record labels, booking agents, publishers, publicity professionals and other industry players.

The festival’s “Music Without Border” spirit reflects its mission to expand Southeast Asia’s music network and create opportunities for regional artists to reach international markets.

In addition to the showcases, AXEAN Festival 2026 will once again feature the Songwriting Camp, a program that has been running since 2023. The program brings together producers, singer-songwriters and other songwriters to create music collaboratively.

The resulting works are planned for release across various digital platforms.

AXEAN is also strengthening its focus on Bali’s local talent through the Bali Band Open Call, providing local bands with opportunities to perform while connecting them with a broader music industry network.

The organizers are also involving local musicians, creative workers and vendors in the festival’s operations. On the sustainability front, AXEAN has introduced several initiatives, including encouraging visitors to bring reusable tumblers, providing filtered drinking water and exploring waste management systems in collaboration with environmental organizations.

For the 2026 edition, AXEAN is targeting approximately 2,000 visitors over two days, double the roughly 1,000 visitors recorded during the previous two years.

With hundreds of international delegates expected to attend, AXEAN Festival 2026 is more than a music performance event. It is also positioned as a business and networking platform for the music industry.

The festival is expected to create opportunities for contracts, international performance invitations and new career prospects for Southeast Asian musicians.

Bali is once again being positioned not only as a global tourism destination, but also as one of the gateways for Southeast Asian music to reach the world stage.