It’s that time of year when Australians turn off their alarms, load up on chocolate, and for many of us, pack for the roadtrip that is Bluesfest. Nix the journey, and forget packing for all-weather, because Bluesfest is wiped out, and not by mother nature.
The beloved Easter long-weekend festival was meant to get underway today, April 2, with a lineup led by Split Enz; Parkway Drive; Sublime; Earth, Wind & Fire, and others.
That was, until organizers announced abruptly last month that the festival was calling time after 36 years. And that, instead of issuing refunds to ticketholders, a liquidator, Worrells, was appointed to “manage all financial matters, including vendor and partner obligations.”
Poor ticket sales and other issues were blamed for the situation, which leaves artists and small businesses out of pocket, and thousands of music fans jostling as unsecured creditors, chasing refunds.
The collapse of Bluesfest, just weeks out from showtime, has been a massive, moving target in the national press, and a black eye for a festivals industry already catching punches from every angle.
“If they’re not offering ticket refunds and they’re in liquidation, no one will trust that,” remarks MC Pressure from Hilltop Hoods, headliners at the 2025 fest, which was initially billed as the finale. “What I’m really disappointed in what happened there, I think it was mismanaged and they’ve done a lot of damage to the festival scene in Australia with what they’ve done,” he told Billboard, ahead of the hip-hop trio’s March 14 concert in Brisbane.
“It’s gonna take a lot to get that trust back,” adds the Hoods’ Suffa.
Bluesfest is the latest in a growing tally of events that have skipped a year, or disappeared entirely, a list that includes Rolling Loud Australia, Esoteric Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, Listen Out and others.
Promoters say the cost-of-living pressures, high operational costs, and changing ticket-buying behaviors are the stuff of nightmares. The war in Iran can be felt here, too, particular at the fuel pumps. Now, with Bluesfest crashing, and ticket buyers, many of whom spent thousands on the full experience, including travel, food and accommodation, and up to $686.40 plus booking fee for tickets, it’s a blowout the repercussions of which are yet to be felt.
It was Peter Noble, Bluesfest’s high-profile director, who described the festivals landscape in these parts as an industry facing an “extinction event.” Not every event will survive. “People are doing it tough in Australia right now. And they’re not going out as much as they did,” he remarked in June 2024. Noble hasn’t spoken publicly since Worrells’ Jason Bettles was appointed liquidator on March 13.
Bluesfest, perhaps the most-awarded festival in Australia, was no average festival. It was a destination event, a drawcard to Byron Bay, the scenic beach community on the most easterly tip of the mainland. A smorgasbord of entertainment, across four days. And a camping experience that ushered in the colder months.
The big show is no longer in town, but Byron Bay has rallied. Byron’s busy network of live venues will keep their bars stocked and stages stacked in the days ahead, as the likes of The Wailers, The Living End and The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin get straight to work.
Easter isn’t canceled, but Bluesfest is done.
“It’s a shame that it’s gone,” Hilltop Hoods’ Suffa says of Bluesfest. “It was a dope fest. An important part of the Australian festival landscape. Iconic.”
