There’s no beating around the bush, Australia’s music festival scene has hit a rough patch in the past 12 months. First, Falls Festival cancelled their 2023 event, then Groovin’ the Moo pulled the plug on their anticipated 2024 edition, and then there was the shocking cancellation of Splendour in the Grass – Australia’s biggest single-ticket festival, right after they confirmed Kylie Minogue herself to headline. That one was a particularly hard blow. The news only got worse with the announcement that Tasmania's Mona Foma would be canned, and Dark Mofo hit the pause button in 2024.
It’s time to face the music and take a look at what’s happening to Australia’s live music, arts and culture scene. But don’t put away your dancing shoes just yet – the show must go on. Here’s what the future holds for Australia’s festivals and what events you can still rally around in 2024.
Why are so many Australian music festivals being cancelled?
In April, Creative Australia (the federal government’s peak arts body) commissioned a nationwide survey of more than 50 Australian musical festivals to uncover what’s going wrong. The ‘Soundcheck’ report revealed that in the 2022-2023 financial year, a total of 535 music festivals were held across Australia, with more than one-third of these reporting losses, averaging $470,000. The common barriers these festivals faced included rising operational costs (47 per cent), lack of funding and grants available (39 per cent), and rocketing insurance fees (31 per cent).
Cozzie livs is taking a toll on both festival-throwers and festival-goers, with many festivals cancelling due to low ticket sales. 2023 was the first time since 2011 that Splendour in the Grass failed to sell out within hours, with Groovin’ the Moo calling it quits for the first time in its 19-year history (besides those pesky Covid lockdown years) just two weeks after the initial line-up reveal. Both festivals cited poor ticket sales among their reasons for cancelling.
A big reason behind lower sales is that Aussies are now more inclined to hunt down discounted second-hand tickets at the last minute. This tactic is especially common among the younger crowd, who are the key audience for these multi-day music festivals and who are particularly feeling the pinch from the cost-of-living squeeze.
That’s not to say Aussies won’t splurge for their favourite acts. Case in point: Taylor Swift, Blink 182, Nick Cave and Fred again.. (who each sold more than 100,000 tickets – double Splendours’ capacity – within 24 hours). Fans are willing to drop the big bucks for the security of seeing these big-name artists in large indoor venues, reducing the risk of last-minute cancellations or wild weather woes (who could forget the legendary "Splendour in the Mud" washout of 2022?). While it seems that festivals are dropping like flies, international popstars like Olivia Rodrigo are selling out multi-date arena shows at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.
What does the future of festivals look like in Australia?
Aussies are shying away from multi-day and multi-genre festivals (like Groovin’ and Falls) where the line-up features a buffet of artists or bands that they might have never heard of. Now, they’re looking to more niche, genre-focused events, with ticket sales booming for the Aussie alternative music fest Good Things, international country and roots music festival CMC Rocks, Queensland rock concert Red Hot Summer, and modern R’n’B festival Souled Out. They're also more likely to dish out cash for one-day festivals (saving them the costs of camping, petrol and multiple outfit changes) with summer staples like Listen Out, Spilt Milk and St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival all smashing attendance records in 2023.
And of course, live music is about so much more than muddy destination festivals and big name stadium concerts. Australia's cities are home to some incredible local talents and great venues for intimate gigs. For example, in Melbourne, you're sorted to catch a gig every night of the week. In Sydney, music is a key part of reviving the city's nightlife, with live music programs also being integral to hot festivals like the experimental Volume Festival at the Art Gallery of NSW, SXSW Sydney, and across several venues for Vivid Music, where Mos Def is headlining this winter. Read on for more big festivals you can get around in 2024.
Five Australian festivals you can still support in 2024
1. Birdsville Big Red Bash, NSW: July 2–4, 2024
Finding your way to the start line is all part of the fun at the most remote music festival on the planet – which is also the site of a world-record-breaking dance-off to Tina Turner's 'Nutbush City Limits'. Thousands of music fans gather under the open skies of the Simpson Desert for this three-day festival, set against the backdrop of Big Red, the biggest sand dune in Munga-Thirri National Park. Sing along to your favourite songs by Aussie music legends, including Tina Arena, Jon Stevens and The Hoodoo Gurus, and go full outback with camel rides, sunrise yoga and sand dune surfing.
2. Savannah in the Round, QLD: Oct 11–13, 2024
Country music and camping? Sounds like the dream duo to us. Throw in some of Australia’s most legendary artists – rocking out on the doorstep of the reef and the rainforest – and it’s a done deal. If you’re hoping to get in on this winning combo, then you’ll want to snag tickets to Tropical North Queensland’s largest country music festival, Savannah in the Round. The three-day rodeo takes over the town of Mareeba, just an hour’s drive west of Cairns, with camping and glamping available so you can have the ultimate night out.
3. Woodford Folk Festival, QLD: Dec 27 – Jan 4, 2024
Woodford Folk Festival is kind of like Australia's own version of Woodstock, circa 1969. The summer of love has been going down on this fertile piece of reclaimed farmland for 36 years – and it doesn't seem to show any sign of stopping. Boasting more than 2,000 acts from a mix of local, national and international musicians and performing artists, this folksy, family-friendly festival is all about good times and great classic hits in a rainforest-fringed campground.
4. Beyond the Valley, VIC: Dec 28, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025
Get ready to tear up the dance floor at Australia's biggest New Year's music festival in Barunah Plains (a 30-minute drive from Geelong, 90 minutes from Melbourne). Judging by last year’s headline act, Grammy-winning Aussie dance music trio Rüfüs Du Sol, we have no doubts that this year's program will be jam-packed with international and local artists who'll soundtrack a NYE to remember.
5. Lost Paradise, NSW: Dec 28, 2024 – Jan 1, 2025
Get weird in the wilderness over New Year's at this whopping four-day fiasco in the Central Coast, just an hour north of Sydney. Sure, Lost Paradise is another camping festival, but it’s taken great lengths to provide more than just a (killer) line-up of music with a packed program of talks, workshops and spiritual and wellness experiences. There’s a Hawkesbury River-connected stream to cool off in and a small forest of hammocks for swinging in the breeze.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Australia newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.