The Blues Festival will be running for the last time in 2025, marking the closure of another iconic Australian music festival.
Organisers of the Byron Bay region event, which has been running since 1990, said it was “painful” to announce that the event, which runs from April 17-20, will be its last.
This follows the shock cancellation of Splendour in the Grass festival, which was due to take place in July, with other events including Falls Festival and Groovin’ the Moo also being called off.
Blues festival director Peter Noble declared at the time of its launch in March 2024 that the 2025 event would go ahead as planned despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the festival scene, but on Wednesday that deadline expired.
“For my beloved Bluesfest family, and after more than 50 years working in the music industry, Bluesfest has been a labor of love and a celebration of music, community and the indomitable spirit of our fans,” he said.
“But once the 2025 festival is over, and it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter.”
The rising cost of live music festivals has made the events increasingly difficult to organise, with expensive travel costs, rising overhead costs such as insurance, extreme weather and a cost-of-living crisis all contributing to their relative weakness.
After Splendour was cancelled in March, NSW Music Minister John Graham acknowledged the event was not doing well.
“The festival industry is under extreme pressure and we are deeply concerned about the health of the NSW festival scene,” he said.
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The blues festival has yet to announce its 2025 lineup.
The 2024 edition saw rock legend Jimmy Barnes perform for the first time since undergoing heart surgery last December.
Noble urged fans to make the most of the event while they can and take part in the festival in April.
“We want to make it the most unforgettable experience ever, so if you were thinking about it, now is your last chance to experience our beloved festival,” he said.
Tickets for the 2025 tournament are on sale now.
