A bunch of Aussie music festivals which were forced to cancel recent editions due to economic strife have been given a multi-million dollar lifeline from the NSW government.
Lost Paradise, Listen Out, Yours and Owls, Field Day and Bluesfest were the five festivals named to be receiving a cash boost as part of the government’s Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund, with the details of the funding announced over the weekend.
Drawing from a $2.25 million emergency fund, each festival will receive up to $500,000 to reduce organising costs and alleviate the pressures brought on by the pandemic, inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, which have resulted in the cancellation of dozens of iconic music events in recent years.
It marks the first round of funds to be disbursed by the Music Festival Viability Fund following its inception in September of last year.
According to a press statement, the grants were established in response to the cancellation of Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, Spilt Milk and Groovin’ the Moo, all staples of the festival circuit which were forced to abandon past and upcoming instalments over the past two years.
“The post covid era has been a financial nightmare for music festivals in NSW,” John Graham, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy said when announcing the grants.
“We can’t afford to lose that cultural experience because the festivals can’t afford to pay their rising bills.”
Adelle Robinson, the managing director of Fuzzy Operations — which runs Listen Out and Field Day — said she was “seriously considering not moving forward” with the 2025 editions of those festivals prior to the announcement.
“The market was so precarious at the end of last year,” Robinson said.
“A reset with our programming and the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund were the two reasons the show went ahead.”
Meanwhile, Bluesfest — which last year announced that its 2025 edition would be its last — will now run again next year as a result of the funding.
It comes amid a swathe of cancellations for music festivals this year alone, with Good Life, A Festival Called Panama, Esoteric, Souled Out and Forth Valley Blues each giving their events the axe due to low ticket sales and cost-of-living pressures.
It’s promising news as Australia’s festival circuit looks increasingly bare, so perhaps it’s time to start building those doof sticks.
Lead image: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images and Bluesfest/Instagram
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