There will be no ringing in the new year at Falls Festival as organisers have just announced they are taking a year off to "rest, recover and recalibrate."
Secret Sounds made the announcement today saying: "After an impressive 28 years ringing in the New Year with some of the world's biggest acts, the Falls team are today switching on their OOOs and taking this New Year's season off to rest, recover and recalibrate."
Originally held in bushland in Lorne since 1993, the music event is one of Australia's longest-running festivals, but in recent years has struggled to find a permanent home amidst a series of crises. In 2019, it was cancelled due to extreme heat and risk of bushfire. In 2020 and 2021, the festival was cancelled because of Covid-19 lockdowns. And then, in 2022, the festival was held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl after organisers were blocked from staging the event in Murroon.
The co-CEO of Secret Sounds and Falls producer Jessica Ducrou said the past few years have seen unprecedented change in the live music space, both on stage and behind the scenes. "While the Falls reboot in 2022/23 was full of amazing moments and we were thrilled to reconnect with our Falls fam, our team needs a break," Ducrou said.
"So this year, we'll take the time off to enjoy the holiday period and allow some space to re-imagine how Falls will look in the future."
Watch this space for any further updates.