Melanie Bracewell and Tim McDonald will host the 2026 ARIA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, organizers announced ahead of the ceremony’s 40th-anniversary celebration.
The pair co-host Network 10’s The Cheap Seats, a comedy panel show they have fronted together since 2021. According to Billboard, Bracewell and McDonald won the Logie Award for most outstanding entertainment program in 2023, and organizers called them a “natural fit” to helm the anniversary edition.
Melanie Bracewell: The Hosting Team
Triple j presenter and DJ Latifa Tee will join Bracewell and McDonald as part of the hosting team, Billboard reported. Georgie Tunny and Angela Bishop will handle red-carpet duties for the night.
Bracewell shared her excitement about the gig in a statement to Billboard, joking about her hosting resume. “Thrilled to host the ARIAs with my friend and colleague Tim McDonald. Hoping they didn’t book us for experience. The last awards ceremony I hosted was a raffle for a meat tray,” she said.
McDonald echoed her enthusiasm while nodding to the milestone anniversary. “Australian music is the best in the world, so we are so excited and honoured to be hosting! I can’t wait to celebrate this music milestone, 40 years of the ARIA Awards, and 24 years since I failed the recorder in grade three,” he said.
What It Means For Fans
The 2026 ARIA Awards will mark the ceremony’s 40th year, with winners crowned across 29 categories on the night. The show will take place Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
Fans can stream the ceremony live on Paramount+ starting at 5 p.m. AEDT on Nov. 18, with the broadcast later airing on Network 10. That gives both local and international audiences a chance to catch the full show as the ARIAs honor the biggest names in Australian music.
What’s Next
The 2026 ARIA Awards ceremony airs Wednesday, Nov. 18, with the Paramount+ stream kicking off at 5 p.m. AEDT ahead of the Network 10 broadcast. Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala lead this year’s nominations with eight nods each, competing across 29 categories including Album of the Year and Best Solo Artist.
Reporting from Billboard contributed to this story.
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