More music festivals will fall if governments don’t help the struggling industry facing cost pressures,with Splendour in the Grass becoming the latest casualty.
Organiser Secret Sounds on Wednesday confirmed the cancellation of the key Byron Bay gathering which has run every year since 2001,apart from 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian Festival Association managing director Mitch Wilson said the soaring price of running a large music event was making it increasingly difficult for the industry to operate.
“The Australian music festival industry is currently facing a crisis and the flow-on effects will be felt across the local communities,suppliers and contractors that sustain our festivals and rely on them to support their livelihoods,” Wilson said.
The association called on state and federal governments to bolster funding and grants in upcoming budgets to help keep the sector afloat.
The current poor strength of the Australian dollar,high travel costs,insurance and extreme weather were other major factors impacting festivals,Wilson said.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said his government and festival organisers had conversations over the past week about saving the event.
“Unfortunately,what was discussed or effectively offered by the government wasn’t accepted by the organisers,which is a real shame because that’s an institution,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“What we’re offering obviously wasn’t enough.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said her government was willing to consult with the industry and consider recommendations made to the federal government on further support.
“There’s clearly some challenges with those bigger scale outdoor music festivals,” she told reporters on Thursday.
Groovin the Moo organisers were forced to ditch the event’s 2024 tour in February due to insufficient ticket sales.
More than 25 music festivals across Australia have been cancelled since 2022 - nine of them in NSW,according to data from the Australian Festival Association.
AAP