Melbourne event aims to turn a crowd into a colossal choir

Australian music icon John Farnham is inspiring fans to chase a world record, even as he recovers away from the stage. Organisers have announced a massive singalong at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl in March 2026, where thousands of people will belt out Farnham’s biggest hits together. The goal is to claim a world record for the largest group of people singing songs by a single artist. Led by long-time music director Chong Lim, the Farnham band and guest vocalists will guide the crowd through favourites such as “You’re the Voice” and “Sadie.” Tickets went on sale on November 21, with a portion of proceeds earmarked for the Head and Neck Cancer Foundation.

Farnham himself, who has undergone treatment for cancer in recent years, will not attend in person but has publicly endorsed the event. In a statement, he called it a fun challenge at one of his favourite venues and joked that fans might remember the lyrics better than he does. For his bandmates, the show will mark their first time performing together since the 2020 Firefight fundraiser, adding an emotional reunion to the world-record bid. Fans see the singalong as both a celebration of decades of music and a chance to give back to an artist whose songs have become part of Australia’s cultural fabric.

Singalong culture and record-chasing boom

The attempt comes amid a broader boom in crowd-based record events, many of them tied to charity. The Australian Book of Records, which will oversee the attempt, recently certified a dance gathering of 6,779 people performing “The Nutbush” at an outback festival, as well as a new world record for massed bagpipers in Melbourne. Organisers say these large-scale stunts are more than publicity—they tap into people’s hunger for communal experiences after years of pandemic disruption and cost-of-living stress.

For Farnham’s team, that sense of community is central. They are pitching the event as an opportunity for fans across generations to stand in the same bowl where the singer built some of his most legendary performances, and to quite literally carry the songs themselves. The charity component adds another layer: proceeds will support research and care for patients with head and neck cancers, a cause made more visible by Farnham’s own health battle. If the record attempt succeeds, it could turn a single night of singing into a lasting symbol of solidarity between artist and audience.