WHARF4WARD 2026

Date: 19 MARCH 2026 

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST NAMES UNITE TO RAISE A RECORD-BREAKING $1,665,000 FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS WITH CANCER AT WHARF4WARD 2026

Multi-ARIA award-winning Ben Lee, rising stars Jem Cassar-Daley and KYE, and Australia’s top TV and radio personalities unite at Sony Foundation’s Wharf4Ward 2026, supporting young Australians with cancer.

Sony Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sony Group of Companies, united Australia’s biggest names in media, entertainment, and business at Wharf4Ward 2026, to raise a record-breaking $1,665,000 for Australian youth with cancer.

THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2026: Australia’s top stars joined forces once again at Sony Foundation’s Wharf4Ward today, Thursday, 19 March, transforming Sydney’s iconic Woolloomooloo Wharf into a fundraising powerhouse to tackle the crippling financial cost of cancer for young Australians and their families needing to relocate for life-saving treatment.

Affectionately known as “Sydney’s Longest Lunch,” Wharf4Ward is hosted annually by Sony Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sony Group of Companies, and blends the power of music, entertainment, and philanthropy to spotlight urgent gaps in national youth cancer care – gaps that force regional young cancer patients to confront impossible choices far from home and loved ones.

This year’s entertainment lineup featured performances from multi-ARIA award-winning Australian indie-music icon Ben Lee, indie-pop sensation Jem Cassar-Daley and rising R&B/pop star KYE, and hosting duties were shared across Australia’s most recognised TV and radio personalities from Sony Foundation’s media partner’s including Nine Entertainment’s Karl Stefanovic, Peter Overton AM, Richard Wilkins AM, Samantha Armytage, NOVA Entertainment’s Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, Kate Ritchie, Seven Network’s Matt Shirvington, Natalie Barr, James Tobin, Scott Tweedie, Sony Foundation Ambassador, Sally Obermeder and Stuart Gregor leading the fundraising action.

Attending celebrity personalities included: Alison Piotrowski (Nine); Ariarne Titmus; Cameron Merchant; Cast of Australian Idol – Top 10 (Seven); Dr David Rosengren (Director-General of Queensland Health); James Bracey (Nine Entertainment); Jules Robinson; Kate Ritchie (NOVA); Krissy Marsh (Foxtel); Melissa Hoyer; Marcia Hines (Seven); Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli (NOVA); Rodger Corser (Nine); Sam Thaiday (Nine); Sarah Abo (Nine); Sarah Harris (NOVA) and The Hon. Brad Hazzard.

Funds raised at Wharf4Ward 2026 will support Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay, which provides free and uncapped accommodation for young regional and rural Australians (aged 15-29) and their families, removing distance as a barrier to life-saving treatment. Since 2020, Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program has funded more than 45,000 nights of free accommodation, allowing patients and families to focus on treatment without the added financial stress of paying for accommodation in the city.

Around one in three youth cancer patients live in regional areas and they are 1.3 times more likely to die from the disease due to barriers in accessing critical care. With almost half of young Australians aged 18–29 considering moving to regional areas due to rising living costs, demand on programs like You Can Stay is only growing.

"Since launching You Can Stay in 2020, we are proud to have provided over 45,000 nights of free accommodation in partnership with Quest Apartment Hotels, removing distance as a barrier to life-saving treatment for hundreds of young regional Australians with cancer," says Sophie Ryan-McPhee, CEO of Sony Foundation.

“Wharf4Ward is more than a fundraiser; it’s a symbol of what can be achieved when industries, talent, and communities unite for a common goal. With the we aim to continue funding thousands of nights for regional and rural families navigating the financial and emotional toll of accessing life-saving cancer treatment far from home.”

21-year-old Alana Barraclough from Queanbeyan, NSW, was just like any other active, social teenager – playing netball and spending time with friends – when she was diagnosed with a high-grade glioma brain tumour, requiring multiple surgeries and extensive radiation treatment in Sydney. To date, Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program has provided Alana and her family with over 70 nights of free accommodation, helping to ease the emotional and financial burden of accessing life-saving cancer treatment in Sydney.

“The cost of travel and being in Sydney so often for treatment was difficult for my mum and she had to quit her jobs to take care of me when I got sick… Being far from home I really missed my siblings, especially my twin sister Tara - We hadn't been apart for more than a weekend before. I really struggled with being isolated in Sydney. [When we were told] about Sony Foundation’s “You Can Stay” accommodation - that we could stay for free, at Quest Apartments, 10 minutes from the hospital… it was like a home away from home. I had my space, my mum had hers, plus a kitchen and dining room.

“Having my own space meant I could be alone but still have mum close by…Time away from the hospital gave us breathing space and a chance to feel normal. Not a sick patient wearing wrist bands and a hospital gown. My siblings could stay with me. I loved them being there, just being silly and hanging out. It felt really homey,” said Ms Barraclough.

Each year, around 1,200 young Australians are diagnosed with cancer, more than any other age group. Caught between paediatric and adult care, many fall into a critical gap in the health system, where their unique needs are often overlooked.

Since its inception in 2010, Wharf4Ward has raised over $15 million for Sony Foundation’s national youth cancer initiative, You Can, ensuring young Australians (aged 15-29) facing cancer have access to specialised, age-appropriate care no matter where they live.

Wharf4Ward continues to be a powerful demonstration of collective corporate philanthropy in action. More than 100 leading media and corporate companies, including ACM, Amazon Ads, Are Media, ARN, Foxtel Media, Gumtree Group, IGN Entertainment, JCDecaux, JOLT, News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment, NOVA Entertainment, oOh!media, Paramount, QMS, SBS, Scentre Group BrandSpace, Seven Network, Sky News, Snapchat, Val Morgan and WIN Television, united for the common cause of supporting young Australians as they take on the fight of their life.

Sony Foundation thanks our Wharf4Ward 2026 Event Partners: Akti, All Occasion Cruises, Alvin Zhu, Bellevue Woolloomooloo, China Doll, Creative Printing & Apparel, efm Logistics, Felons Brewing Co., G.H.Mumm, Kingsleys, Music In Paradise, Northbourne Group, NPW Productions, Opus Media Group, OTTO, Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Papa Salt Coastal Gin, Peter Lehmann Wines, Reddawn, Sanpellegrino, Topbunk, Trolley’d, United Airlines, Vivid and Yusen Logistics.