The news was reported across mainstream media, including by one of the event’s partners, Triple J, several hours before the festival’s organisers made the announcement.
Tickets for the Byron Bay festival, scheduled for July 19-21, only went on sale six days ago. Kylie Minogue was set to headline the festival which usually draws tens of thousands of attendees, with tickets selling out quickly in previous years – although this was not the case for the 2023 event.
In the organisers’ statement, the cancellation of the festival was attributed to “unexpected events”.
“We’re heartbroken to be missing a year especially after more than two decades in operation,” said Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco, co-CEOs of Secret Sounds, which organises the event.
“This festival has always been a huge community effort, and we’d like to thank everyone for their support and overall faith. We hope to be back in the future.”
Splendour in the Grass is the latest in a line of high profile festivals to be cancelled for this year.
In February, Groovin the Moo cancelled its series of festivals across mostly regional locations in Australia just eight days after tickets went on sale.
“Ticket sales have not been sufficient to deliver a regional festival of this kind,” organisers said in their cancellation announcement on February 14.
Tasmania’s iconic winter festival Dark Mofo is also not going ahead this year, with organisers announcing a pause for 2024 last September.
“Since Dark Mofo’s inception back in 2013, the festival has felt the weight of shifting conditions and the burden of escalating costs,” said a statement on the event’s website at the time of the announcement.
“While 2023 left an indelible mark, it also exacted its toll, prompting the decision to pause, reflect and plan out a more sustainable future.”
A couple of Dark Mofo traditions are going ahead this year, despite the bulk of the festival not running.
