FISHER’s Out 2 Lunch festival is skipping this year.
The 2026 edition was mapped out to be the most ambitious yet, expanding from a single show in the artist’s hometown, the Gold Coast, to a four-city coast-to-coast traveling fest, featuring a lineup with Gorgon City, Skream, Sarah Story, Azzecca, Little Fritter and headliner FISHER (real name: Paul Fisher).
As it was planned, the one-day EDM spectacular was meant to kick off May 2 at Melbourne’s Fleming Racecourse, stopping by the Gold Coast’s Doug Jennings Park (May 3), Sydney International Regatta Centre (May 9) and wrapping up at Perth’s Wellington Square (May 10) — a nine-day rolling party crossing this expansive country, with an estimated 100,000 tickets sold.
Those plans, however, will have to wait.
“Due to the significant pressures currently impacting Australian live event audiences and the industry, TEG Live has made the difficult decision to postpone the OUT 2 LUNCH Festival from its planned May 2026 dates to 2027,” reads a statement Friday (April 10) from organizers.
“Across Australia, fans and communities are navigating significant pressures arising from the cost-of-living crisis, rising inflation and broader economic uncertainty. TEG Live believes it is important to ensure that Out 2 Lunch fans can fully enjoy the festival without added financial strain.”
Those pressures became acute with the war in the Middle East, which has caused the price of fuel to rocket in Australia, like elsewhere, and ruin punters’ budgets. Every cost is mounting. Weighing everything up, it’s an “unprecedented situation for Australia,” reads the message from TEG.
In making the decision, TEG points out the “considerable challenges as the diesel fuel shortage will impact the trucking logistics, power generators, production infrastructure and a multitude of suppliers and services that underpin a major touring festival.”
The postponement of OUT 2 LUNCH follows closely on the heels of Bluesfest, which canceled its 2026 show and immediately went into liquidation. The list of fests that have skipped a year, or disappeared entirely, is a growing one that includes Rolling Loud Australia, Esoteric Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, Listen Out and others.
“Given the severe pressures on fuel supplies and consumer sentiment right now, we have to do the right thing and postpone the festival so that greater needs can be prioritized during this critical period, which we understand will be most acute during the next 6-8 weeks,” comments Tim McGregor, global head of touring, TEG Live.
“The scale of this touring festival is immense and delivering a world-class experience is our top priority — we believe rescheduling to 2027 is the best way to ensure we can deliver the incredible, high-quality festival that fans deserve.”
New dates for OUT 2 LUNCH 2027 will be announced in due course. Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled dates, and all existing ticket holders who wish to obtain a refund can do so, the TEG statement confirms.
“I’m really bummed at the moment, at what is happening,” comments FISHER. “And no one more than me would like to put on this show for you guys. We tried all angles but unfortunately we had to postpone due to the circumstances that were put before us. This is something that I don’t take lightly. I’ve seen this before, back in 2020 and 2021 when we had to postpone my shows 2 times before they ended up playing out, although it wasn’t what we wanted, it was the right thing for the fans in the end so we could put on the best show for you. Sometimes the pause is part of the plan. 2027 is worth the wait.”
Out 2 Lunch launched with its inaugural event on May 4, 2024, at Coolangatta Beach.
