One of Australia’s longest-running major music festivals has called it quits for good, the latest in a worrying string of cancellations rocking the industry.
Byron Bay Bluesfest this morning announced that after 35 years lighting up the Easter long weekend with blues, roots and many other genres, the 2025 edition would be its last.
Festival director Peter Noble said he wanted to make next year’s event “the most unforgettable experience yet”.
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“To my Dear Bluesfest Family, and after more than 50 years in the music business, Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community, and the resilient spirit of our fans,” he said, in a press release.
“But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter.
“As I said earlier this year at Bluesfest 2024, next year’s festival will be happening and it definitely is, but it will be our last.”
The decision to pull up stumps followed a string of festival failures and high-profile cancellations amid rising costs of touring, worrying Australian music fans and performers.
Splendour in the Grass, arguably the country’s biggest multi-genre festival, cancelled the 2024 edition even after booking Kylie Minogue, G-Flip, Future and others.
Harvest Rock Music Festival and Spilt Milk both cancelled their 2024 editions while Caloundra Music Festival dropped the event for good after the Sunshine Coast Council pulled funding.
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Bluesfest, which says it brings in about 100,000 fans to watch 200 performances over five days, is probably the biggest major festival to call it quits completely since Big Day Out, Soundwave and Stereosonic all collapsed in the mid 2010s.
Last year’s lineup included rock icon Jimmy Barnes, fresh out of hospital, Jack Johnson, Tom Jones, Ben Harper and Elvis Costello.
Previous editions have welcomed an impressive range of local and international stars from all over the music spectrum, including Bob Dylon, Paul Simon, Kendrick Lamar, Robert Plant, James Brown, Angus and Julia Stone and BB King.
But it hasn’t been without controversy. The 2023 edition was marred by a mass boycott over the inclusion of the band Sticky Fingers over allegations from 2016 that frontman Dylan Frost physically threatened Indigenous singer-songwriter Thelma Plum.
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He later apologised on Instagram, saying he was “ashamed” and that “violence against women is never OK”.
Organisers eventually dropped the band from the line-up but forcefully defended them, hitting out at the “narrative that they continue to deserve to be cancelled, as well as anyone who publicly supports them”.
Early-bird tickets for 2025 are already on sale ahead of the first artist announcement.
“As the final chapter in Bluesfest’s iconic legacy approaches, fans are urged to be part of history,” Bluesfest organisers said.
“The first of many artist announcements for the 2025 festival, which promises to feature a lineup worthy of this momentous occasion, will be unveiled in one week.
“This is the last chance to experience the magic, the music, and the memories that have made Bluesfest a beloved institution, and we are expecting many our greatest artist (sic), plus a bunch of first timers to join us in the celebration, with a first artist announcement imminent.”
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