News that iconic Aussie music festival Splendour in the Grass will not return to Byron Bay for the second year in a row has sparked fears of a growing trend — festival-cancelling season is back.
Last year was marred by despair for festivalgoers, with more than 10 events cancelled.
Groovin The Moo, Harvest Rock, Promise Village, Valleyways, Spilt Milk, Return to Rio, Coastal Jam, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole Festival, Caloundra Music Festival and Big Red Bash were among those axed in 2024.
NYE in the Park was canned after going into liquidation, while Pitch Music and Arts Festival was also forced to cancel due to extreme fire danger.
Bluesfest also announced 2025 would be the iconic event’s curtain call, however the event’s future is now unclear, with director Peter Noble since saying he had begun booking acts for the 2026 festival.
Kylie Minogue was set to make her triumphant return to Australia at the 2024 Splendour in the Grass before the event was also cancelled shortly after tickets went on sale.
The iconic Byron Bay festival on Thursday revealed it would not return in 2025, with organisers stating the event would be taking a “breather so we can come back even bigger and better when the time is right”.
Australian Festival Association (AFA) managing director Olly Arkins said festivals were juggling increased supplier and production costs, including toilets and fencing.
“Everything that goes into a festival saw significant increases and people haven’t been able to raise ticket prices at the same rate to be able to maintain a competitive and enticing price,” Mr Arkins said.
“It’s just the market has been changing a lot faster than … (organisers) have been able to respond to.”
He also said with just a year in between events left festival organisers with a “lot of guess work” regarding cost increases.
An AFA spokesman earlier said Splendour’s decision was “devastating”, but they respected and understood organisers’ decision to pause.
“The cost of producing Australia’s largest festival, with a capacity of 50,000, comes with significant risks,” the spokesman said.
“Globally, we are seeing a shift in the live music landscape, with artists increasingly opting for headline arena or stadium tours. This has impacted festivals of Splendour’s size in attracting the calibre of talent audiences have come to expect.”
The spokesperson said festivals across the country — including metro, regional, single and multi-day events, and single or mixed genre events — were facing “unique and mounting challenges”.
“Splendour’s decision highlights the need for the federal government to extend Revive Live funding to ensure the sustainability of festivals nationwide,” the spokesman said.
“Splendour is a cornerstone of the Australian festival landscape, and we look forward to its future, knowing how much they have contributed to our music and cultural community.”
Funding for Revive Live was announced in the 2024-25 federal budget to offer critical support to the live music and festivals sector.
Lost Paradise 2024-25, Yours and Owls Festival 2025, A Day On The Green 2024-25 and Beyond The Valley Festival 2024 are among events and venues who received grants under the scheme. The program has now closed.
Greens arts spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young called for a “reform and revive” package for 2025 festivals following news of Splendour being cancelled, stating Australia “can’t afford another year of festival cancellations in the cost of living crisis”.
“We’ve seen this sad movie before and it’s a warning to policymakers that unless we see reform that can actually revive the live music sector, 2025 could be another wipe-out year of festival cancellations,” Ms Hanson-Young said.
She said reform was “urgently needed”, and pointed to looking at funding, tax and insurance reforms.
However Ms Hanson-Young did not provide details on the specifics of the proposed “reform and revive” package when asked.
Many festivals still thriving
While it may be easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of several cancellations, there are several festivals still kicking — and even thriving — in Australia.
Good Things festival was one of 2024’s success stories, going ahead despite a last minute line-up change when headliner Sum 41 pulled out after singer Deryck Whibley was hospitalised.
The festival went ahead in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in December, with Promoter Chris O’Brien in August revealing festival organisers were “like a duck on the water”.
“It might look OK on the surface, but underneath we’re paddling pretty hard, and it feels like it’s not a smooth lake,” Mr O’Brien told NewsWire while expressing confidence Good Things would stick around.
Mr Arkins said many people had been able to go to their very first festival, particularly those who experienced their first few years out of high school during the pandemic.
“It’s taken a few years to recover that audience,” he said.
“We’re starting to see that comeback, that’s super positive.
“Laneway (is) starting soon — just really managed to get an artist who’s really hot right now and sold out really well, so there’s a lot of positives.”
Laneway festival is set to kick off on February 8 in Brisbane, featuring Charli XCX, Clairo and Beabadoobee.
#Devastating #Aussie #music #festivals #axed #year #experts #call #federal #government #step
