The cancellation this week of one of the biggest annual events on the Australian music festival calendar, Splendour In The Grass, has sent shockwaves through the local music community. Two weeks after unveiling the event’s 2024 lineup (featuring Kylie Minogue, Future, Arcade Fire, Turnstile, G Flip and more), organisers yesterday announced that the July festival in North Byron Bay would no longer be going ahead, due to “unexpected events”.
In a statement on Insta, they said the fest would be “taking the year off” and that ticketholders would be refunded automatically via Moshtix. Now, speaking with triple j’s nightly news and current affairs program Hack, they’ve given us more insight into what triggered the big decision to axe Splendour.
Festival organisers said they were “heartbroken”
Australian Festival Association (AFA) director Mitch Wilson told Hack that it all came down to low ticket sales, combined with skyrocketing production costs due to the current state of the Aussie dollar.
“Festivals are really struggling at the moment because of the strength of the Australian dollar,” he explained. “Like it’s actually not that attractive at the moment, given where the dollar is at, you know, for an artist to come all of this way. It’s actually really really difficult for us to compete against so many other events that are happening in the northern hemisphere.”
He continued: “We’re seeing costs up 30 to 40% across the board and ticket sales just aren’t where they need to be to cover those costs.”
Elsewhere on the program, local artists from the ill-fated Splendour 2024 lineup such as The Dreggs and Kita Alexander expressed their shock and devastation upon hearing the news, while live music industry expert Dr. Sam Whiting from the University of South Australia weighed in on what it all means for the future of Aussie festies.
“I think we are seeing the end of this multi-genre, multi-festival programming style, the ‘there’s something for everyone’ approach to programming,” he shared. “I think that is wearing thin with audiences.”
He added: “The cost-of-living crisis, the wages and housing crises are hitting young people the hardest, and they are being much more careful with their spending habits.”
Splendour In The Grass is the latest 2024 festival to either cancel outright or take a year off in advance. Others include Groovin’ The Moo (also weeks after announcing its line-up), Falls Festival, Dark Mofo, Tent Pole, Wanderer Festival and Now & Again.
Further Reading
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Has Been Cancelled
BREAKING: Groovin The Moo 2024 Cancelled
Splendour In The Grass 2024: Kylie Minogue, Future, Turnstile + More
