Saturday night (December 20th) marked a watershed moment for Australian dance music, as Dom Dolla filled Sydney’s Allianz Stadium with 40,000 fans for his first-ever hometown stadium show.
His first-ever Australian stadium show marked a career-defining homecoming, arriving after a run of global highs that has seen him sell out Madison Square Garden, headline major festivals across Europe and the US, and cement his status as one of our most in-demand exports.
Over 40,000 people attended the show on Saturday, including a number of emergency workers and lifeguards who responded to the Bondi Beach terror attack less than a week before. The special guests were personally invited, and shouted out on the night, by Dom.
“I had to invite a bunch of first responders and lifeguards, they’re just at the back here, make some fucking noise for these heros,” he said. “I love you all so much, I used to live in Sydney down in Dudley St in Bondi, I fucking love you guys so much, thank you, hugs your mates.”
Posting to Instagram after the show, Dom wrote: “That was absolutely mental not sure I’ll ever recover”.
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Dom Dolla has had a mammoth year.
In November, ARIA announced him as the recipient of its first-ever Global Impact Award. Designed to sit alongside the ARIA Hall of Fame, the new award “recognises Australian recording artists who have demonstrated outstanding breakthrough international success and cultural influence, celebrating those making an impact for Australian music through artistry, innovation, and global connection over the 12 months prior to the Awards”.
It’s an award that’s well deserved for the Melbourne-raised DJ. As well as being the first electronic artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Dolla sold out two nights at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden in March, headlined Miami’s Ultra Festival in April, and set an attendance record at Lollapalooza’s Perry’s Stage in August.
“I really love representing Australian music, especially Aussie dance music when I tour around the world. I’m so proud to fly the flag wherever I go, so this feels like a significant honour. I reckon ARIA might need to start giving out a few more of these each year, because there are so many Aussie artists absolutely killing it overseas right now,” he told Rolling Stone AU/NZ in November.
Going into 2026, he’s “working on a bunch of new music”.
“Right now, I’m just really focused on writing the best stuff I can, with people who are inspiring me, and putting out more music next year than I have in a while. For the time being, I’m just enjoying releasing single by single.”
