An award-winning Australian artistic director and programmer fresh from London is heading up a major annual Sunshine Coast festival.
Bec Martin was appointed festival lead for Horizon 2026 (May 1-10), which offers more than 30 programmed events spanning First Nations culture, the visual and performing arts and live music.
Next year, the festival chalks up 10 years of delivering contemporary art experiences, which reflect the region’s diversity, intersecting local stories with global conversations.
Ms Martin is widely recognised for her ability to transform festivals into inclusive, community-driven platforms.
At London’s VAULT Festival, Ms Martin led a significant shift toward diversity, increasing representation of global majority, people with disabilities, economically marginalised groups and LGBTQI+ artists and voices.
VAULT is staged in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath London and is an underground platform for artists to showcase raw, exciting and boundary-pushing work.
At London’s New Diorama Theatre, she platformed emerging and mid-career talent, while positioning the venue as a cultural anchor where creative work sparked conversations and brought people together.
The theatre has dedicated itself to staging Britain’s best independent theatre companies and ensembles for the past 15 years.
Ms Martin said she was excited to return home as festival lead for Horizon Festival 2026, having grown up, trained and forged her career in Australia.
“Horizon Festival is about to enter a new creative chapter and it’s an honour to join the team and give back to the industry where I began my artistic practice,” Ms Martin said.
“I’m so looking forward to collaborating with Sunshine Coast artists and audiences to shape a program that is bold, inclusive and deeply connected to place.
“The festival already has an incredible reputation for showcasing local stories on national and international stages.
“Alongside the brilliant and talented team, we’ll build on that legacy and council’s continued support of Horizon Festival allows us to create stronger partnerships, and greater opportunities for artists and audiences alike.”
Horizon is a key deliverable in the Sunshine Coast Creative Arts Plan 2023-2038, and has been identified by Sunshine Coast Council to play a lead role in the cultural offer for the region during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Following a vibrant 2025 program that welcomed over 20,000 attendances across 50 events in 10 locations, Horizon generated a $1.4 million economic impact and showcased the work of 557 artists with 76% local representation.
The 2026 program will include a continued commitment to First Nations leadership, cultural tourism and audience engagement; community activations which bring people together in unexpected ways; and site-specific works in natural environments across the Coast.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said she was delighted to welcome Ms Martin into the team and looked forward to working collaboratively with her to deliver the best festival ever.
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“Horizon is an important part of our region’s cultural story,” Mayor Natoli said.
“With Bec at the helm, we’re confident the festival will continue to excite audiences, reflect our unique identity and celebrate our arts community.
“We’re proud to deliver a festival that brings people together through the arts and I’m excited to see the program when it’s revealed in February.
“For now, I encourage everyone to mark their calendars for what promises to be a wonderful 2026 festival.”
