Byron Bay's Bluesfest has been cancelled just weeks before it was due to take place over the Easter long weekend, with a liquidator appointed to wind up the festival after more than three decades.
Organisers confirmed on Friday that soaring costs and poor ticket sales had made the 2026 event financially unviable. Festival director Peter Noble cited a 'perfect storm' of rising production, logistics, insurance and touring costs, combined with international uncertainties and declining ticket demand.
The 2026 event, which would have been the 36th edition, was set to feature a 50th-anniversary reunion of Split Enz, along with Earth, Wind & Fire, Parkway Drive, Erykah Badu and The Wailers. However, the appointment of a liquidator means ticket holders become unsecured creditors and are unlikely to receive refunds.
A spokesperson for the NSW government described the cancellation as 'deeply disappointing' and noted that an inquiry into the state of live music and festivals is underway. Bluesfest claimed last year's event generated about $230m in economic activity across the state, including $130m for the northern rivers region.
