Australia’s Splendour in the Grass Called-Off Again
Australia’s Splendour in the Grass festival has officially been called-off for the second year in a row.
Festival organizers shared the news on social media, noting that “the rest of the festival team have still been busy cooking up some awesome new things for music lovers in Australia.”
“But Splendour needs a little more time to recharge and we won’t be back this year,” organizers said. “Think of it as a breather so we can come back even bigger and better when the time is right.”
According to The Guardian Australia, sources said that Live Nation, which owns Splendour, was unable to secure “overseas acts of enough caliber” to headline the event. The source noted that “when you’re an event of that size, you do need to get the headline talent to match the expectation of the audience.”
Live Nation declined to comment, telling the publication that “the festivals team has our full support to bring Splendour in the Grass back when they feel it’s right.”
The festival, held annually since 2001 in Ngarindjin/North Byron Parklands, was created to help revive business ventures and build a sustainable live music scene in local towns and regions. Organizers cancelled last year’s festival after more than two decades in operation due to “unexpected events.” The previous year, it was reported that ticket sales were down 30%.
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Splendour wasn’t alone; in 2024, Australia’s largest touring regional festival, Groovin in the Moo, was called-off due to insufficient ticket sales.
NSW Greens music spokesperson Cate Faehrmann said in a statement that NSW’s live music industry “has been dealt blow after blow” over the last few years.
“The fact that one of Australia’s biggest music festivals is unable to sustain itself any longer should be a massive warning to the NSW government that without urgent intervention, live music as we know and love it will never recover,” Faehrmann said.
Aside from Australia, festivals suffered around the globe in 2024, due to a combination of low ticket sales, rising production costs, and an oversaturation of events. Ireland saw the cancellation of major events like Body and Soul in County Westmeath and Wild Roots in County Sligo. In the U.S., Firefly announced it would not return to Dover and Jay-Z’s Made in America festival was called-off for the second year in a row. Lovers & Friends’ inaugural festival was also cancelled, as well as Backwoods Festival, Kickoff Jam, Los Angeles’ Besame Mucho Festival, and the long-running Pitchfork Festival.
