RocKwiz is heading back to its original home, with four exclusive live shows locked in at the Gershwin Room inside Hotel Esplanade from 26 to 29 May 2026.
The limited run marks a full-circle moment for the long-running music quiz show, which first aired on SBS in 2005 and filmed 175 episodes in the same room across 14 seasons. While the show wrapped up its TV recordings at the venue in 2016, this return is strictly live, with no filming planned.
Original hosts Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis will lead the shows, joined by Dugald and The RocKwiz OrKestra, along with a lineup of special guests. The format stays true to what built its following, with audience participation, trivia rounds and live music all part of the mix.
Fans can expect familiar segments including Who Can It Be Now?, Local and/or General, Million Dollar Riff and The Furious Five, alongside the spontaneous duets that became a signature of the show.
Venue Manager Ben Burgess 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!”
Tickets go on sale from 17 April, with presales from 16 April. For more information visit https://hotelesplanade.com.au/.
