The future of Australian music festivals hangs in the balance as Splendour in the Grass becomes the latest major event to be cancelled this year, following over two decades of the festival’s operation.
More than 25 festivals across Australia have been cancelled since 2022, according to the Australian Festival Association.
Organiser Secret Sounds announced on March 27 the cancellation “with a heavy heart” of the annual music festival, scheduled for July 19 to 21 at North Byron Parklands in New South Wales.
“We’re sorry for any disappointment caused.”
Tickets for the event went on sale just a week ago on March 21.
“This festival has always been a huge community effort, and we'd like to thank everyone for their support and overall faith. We hope to be back in the future,” Secret Sounds CEO Paul Piticco said.
Mounting Industry Costs
Australian Festival Association managing director Mitch Wilson said the mounting costs of organising large music events make it increasingly challenging for the industry to thrive.“Some festivals have seen strong ticket sales this summer, but with costs up 30-40% across the board and affordable insurance difficult to obtain, margins are tight,” he said in a statement.
“Festival organisers haven’t raised ticket prices to offset or meet these increases due to cost-of-living challenges being faced by everyone.”
He added that expensive travel, extreme weather, and the weak Australian dollar are other factors impacting festivals.
“If we all step back and let market conditions determine our future, cancellations will continue,” he warned.
The Association, therefore, urged a national and state approach to address the “crisis facing the Australian music festival industry.”
“The Australian Festival Association calls on the Albanese Labor Government to substantially increase and continue the Live Music Australia grants for festivals in the upcoming federal budget,” it said.
More Festival Cancellations Over Recent Years
Over 25 music festivals across Australia have been cancelled in two years, with nine of them in New South Wales (NSW).Groovin the Moo organisers cancelled the music event’s 2024 tour in February due to low ticket sales.
Falls Festival, another event organised by Secret Sounds and hosted in Byron, joined the list of cancelled events in late 2023, with organisers citing the need to “rest, recover, and recalibrate.”
Meanwhile, thousands of festival-goers in regional Victoria were subjected to drug tests after an extreme heatwave forced the premature end of the Pitch Music & Arts Festival earlier this month.
Pitch organisers decided to officially cancel the event midway, following advice from Victoria’s Country Fire Authority due to the extreme fire danger near the festival site, which was close to the Grampians National Park in western Victoria.
Outrage followed after DJ Antony Maugeri, 23, passed away after he was airlifted from the festival to the Alfred Hospital in the early hours of March 10.
He was flown to the hospital due to suspected substance use at Pitch amid temperatures flaring to 37 degrees with a total fire ban.
Simon Eid, a family spokesman, questioned why the music festival continued despite the Country Fire Authority advising against it and on top of other events, such as the Moomba Parade, being canceled due to the heat.
“How many lives do you put at risk!” Mr. Eid wrote in a text message.
In response to the havoc, government body Music Australia will release a research report titled “Soundcheck: Insights into Australia’s Music Festival Sector” in April.
Soundcheck will provide a first-of-its-kind examination of the social, cultural, and economic impacts of music festivals and the logistical challenges of organising them.
