Australia… they did not forget.
Three years after first tearing through Australian stages on their long-awaited debut headline run, Swedish metal visionaries Avatar are set to return to Australia and New Zealand this August and September, bringing their latest chapter of chaos, theatre, and razor-sharp heavy metal back to this side of the world. Their 2023 breakthrough Down Under followed the success of Dance Devil Dance, which hit No. 1 on the Australian iTunes Metal and Rock charts and No. 6 across all albums, helping confirm what a lot of us already knew: Avatar are one of the most electrifying live bands in heavy music.
Now the band return with a new record in hand. Avatar’s tenth studio album, Don’t Go In The Forest, was released in 2025, continuing the band’s evolution into one of modern metal’s most theatrical and distinctive forces.
For Australian audiences, this run feels like the next logical step after the band’s first headline visit in August 2023. At the time, the tour came after years of anticipation, petitions, and waiting from local fans, with Avatar finally bringing their live spectacle to Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
This time around, the band are going bigger, taking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Auckland as they bring the shadow-soaked world of Don’t Go In The Forest to stages across the region.
Avatar 2026 Australia and New Zealand Tour Dates
Wednesday 26 August – Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory
Friday 28 August – Melbourne, Northcote Theatre
Saturday 29 August – Sydney, Manning Bar
Sunday 30 August – Brisbane, Princess Theatre
Tuesday 1 September – Auckland, PowerstationTickets
Pre-sale: Friday 27 March, 9:00am local time
General public on sale: Monday 30 March, 9:00am local time
From: https://thephoenix.au/avatar-2026/
If Avatar’s last run proved anything, it is that this is not a band you casually go and see. You step into their world. Between Johannes Eckerström’s magnetic command, the band’s flawless balance of extremity and melody, and a stage show that feels like twisted theatre dragged through a heavy metal fever dream, Avatar have built a live identity few bands on the planet can touch.
With a new album, a returning hunger for Down Under stages, and a reputation that only keeps growing, this run shapes up as one of the most anticipated heavy tours on the late 2026 calendar.
Australia and New Zealand, the forest is calling.
