RocKwiz live shows scheduled at the Gershwin Room from 26th to 29th May 2026
RocKwiz will return to the Gershwin Room at Hotel Esplanade for a limited run of four live shows from 26th to 29th May 2026. The series marks a return to the venue where the program first built its audience before transitioning to national touring.
The music quiz show first aired on SBS in 2005 and recorded 175 episodes at the St Kilda venue across 14 seasons. The final television recording at the location took place in 2016. Now, the show will return for live performances that will not be recorded for broadcast.
Julia Zemiro, Brian Nankervis, Dugald and The RocKwiz OrKestra will headline the performances. The format will include established segments such as Who Can It Be Now?, Local and/or General, Million Dollar Riff, The Furious Five and live duet performances.
The shows will combine music, trivia, storytelling and comedy within the original recording environment. Additionally, organisers confirmed that audience members will experience the format in a live setting rather than through broadcast production.
Ticket release and show details
The four performances will run from Tuesday, 26th May, through Friday, 29th May 2026. Doors will open at 7:00pm, with shows commencing at 7:30pm and running into the evening.
Tickets will first be released to Kwizlist presale members on Thursday, 16th April at 9:00am. General public sales will follow on Friday 17th April at 9:00am. Pricing begins at $79 plus booking fee for standing general admission and $99 plus booking fee for theatre seating.
VIP and VVIP packages will also be available. These include premium seating, pre-show dining, merchandise packs and access to a public afterparty. A ticket link will be added once sales commence.
Ben Burgess, Venue Manager at The Espy, said: “To have RocKwiz return to the Gershwin Room is incredibly special for us. This room has such a rich live music history, and RocKwiz is a huge part of that story. Bringing it back in such an intimate format feels like a full-circle moment for The Espy and for Australian music fans.”
Brian Nankervis said, “Well, this is incredibly exciting! Part of me has missed the intimacy, chaos, history and the sheer energy of The Gershwin Room since 2016. I can’t wait to be back in there, using what we have learned from 10 years of live shows in all sorts of venues around Australia and creating new magic moments in the room where it all began.”
Julia Zemiro said: “The huge success and longevity of RocKwiz is a crazy, beautiful mix of the right people at the right time in the right place. And that place is the Gershwin Room at the Esplanade Hotel. We made hundreds of shows in that room for television, and it’s where I got to find the skills I needed to make this beautiful show thrive. To be coming back here is a beautiful coming home. See you there!”
The performances will take place at the Gershwin Room, Hotel Esplanade, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda VIC 3182. Doors open at 7:00pm, with shows running from 7:30pm.
Tickets available 16th April
