Bunnings Warehouse has announced that it will be hosting a long-awaited warehouse party at one of its Melbourne stores on Saturday 31st August.
Electronic music duo Peking Duk, who are headlining the event, made the announcement on behalf of the hardware retailer on Wednesday.
“The Bunnings Rave is confirmed,” they announced. “The lineup will feature some of the best Australian talent available, including the guy who started it all.”
Peking Duk frontmen Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles have said they will take to the stage alongside electronic music producer What So Not.
Kalia NayNay, aka the Sydney teenager who first introduced the idea on TikTok with a creative EDM remix of the Bunnings Warehouse jingle, will perform alongside them, with Bunnings worker DJ Lottie completing the bill.
The official Bunnings Warehouse Party, as it has been dubbed by organisers, will take place on Saturday 31 August in the car park of Bunnings Preston in Melbourne’s north.
The three-hour event will be “an alcohol-free environment with a focus on celebrating the local music community” and will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
However, there will be a designated kick on and a second location yet to be announced.
“It’s a 16+ event because Bunnings is for everyone,” Hyde said in the announcement video shared on TikTok on Wednesday. “But if you want to join us, there’s a separate event afterwards.”
Organisers have promised that “all the Bunnings favourites” will be there that night, including an employee-led sausage barbecue, face painting and branded merchandise.
Peking Duk’s Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles (both pictured) have announced that the Bunnings Warehouse Party will be taking place at Bunnings Preston in Melbourne on Saturday 31 August.
Peking Duk frontmen Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles have said they will take to the stage alongside electronic music producer What So Not (pictured)
Tickets will cost $30 and the headliners will offer their time and artistry for free.
All funds raised through ticket sales and the sausage barbecue will go to Support Act, an organization that “provides crisis relief, mental health and wellbeing support to people in the music industry.”
‘The car park at Bunnings Warehouse Preston will be the setting for a 3-hour ticketed community event to celebrate and support Australian live music, featuring Peking Duk, What So Not, Kalia, NayNay and our very own Bunnings team member and DJ Lottie,’ reads a statement.
The Bunnings Warehouse Party event follows significant community feedback, calling for the hardware giant to host a live music event to help the struggling local music industry.
“Bunnings was delighted to see Australian music lovers from across the country sharing their enthusiasm for a rave at Bunnings to support local music artists,” the announcement continued.
Electronic music producer What So Not will headline the three-hour community event.
‘Bunnings is excited that together with Peking Duk, What So Not and Kaila, we have found a way to give the people what they want – the Bunnings Warehouse Party.’
“This is an event that people asked for and we are happy to be able to make it happen in a safe, fun way and around music,” he concluded.
In April, 19-year-old Kalia playfully remixed Bunnings’ theme tune with a thumping beat, inviting Australian electronic artists What So Not and Peking Duk to headline a rave at the hardware store.
The Sydney teenager, who will join his mentors as co-headliners at the party he created, has gone viral on TikTok.
By June, the BunningsRave hashtag had received over 1 million views and was being talked about across Australia.
Electronic hitmaker What So Not joined the project and shared the video with the caption ‘MAKE THIS HAPPEN’ on his Instagram, which has been viewed over a million times.
Bunnings’ official website responded: “We’ll bring the covers,” with a series of eye emojis.
What So Not, the stage name of Chris Emerson, has been a driving force behind the event.
Sydney-born DJ Dee Why, who recently completed his Australian Dance Dance Revival tour, has been supporting Australian talent and popular events for years.
In an interview shared with his InstagramHe was asked why he did it and he said, ‘Go to a small club and listen to the weird things the local people do and the interesting entertainment they book from abroad? THAT’S ALL.’
“It’s funny, but I’ve always done it. And the reason I do it is because it’s so much fun! And it’s so rewarding, and you meet so many interesting people. You get inspired and you discover cool new artists. That’s what we’re here for.”
What So Not has lived a nomadic existence on the road for the past decade, playing major festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, but its mission has always been to build a thriving music scene at home.
“It’s just a win,” he said. “That’s the best thing. I can’t fault it. It’s amazing, it’s fun. It helps everyone.”
“I’m speaking out right now because Australia just lost all those big festivals. There are a lot of artists who are saying, ‘That was my income for the year.'”
This comes as the Byron Bay music festival announced on Wednesday that its four-day event starting on April 17, 2025 will be its “final curtain call,” following the cancellations of Australian festivals Splendour in the Grass, Groove in the Moo, Beyond the Valley and Spilt Milk earlier this year.
