BRISBANE, Australia — Bluesfest 2026 is down and out.
The beloved Easter long-weekend festival had previously-announced a lineup led by Split Enz, Parkway Drive, Earth, Sublime, Wind & Fire, and others, and was coming off a particularly strong edition in 2025, which was initially billed as its “last” hurrah.
As it stands, 2025 will remain the final party. The bite of rising costs associated with putting on the show, along with slow ticket sales, have torpedoed this year’s camping fest.
“After 36 years as Australia’s most awarded festival, Bluesfest has made the difficult decision not to proceed with the 2026 event. We are proud of what we have achieved – the music, our artists, the busking competition, our staff, our community, and everyone who has been part of the Bluesfest journey,” reads a statement.
“Rising production, logistics, insurance and touring costs, together with a more challenging environment for major live events, mean it is not possible to deliver the festival to the standard audiences, artists and partners expect.”
A liquidator has been appointed to “manage all financial matters, including vendor and partner obligations,” the message continues.
According to organizers, last year’s show gathered about 109,000 attendees over its five days, the best result since the pre-pandemic 2019 edition, and good enough for a top three all-time result for Bluesfest, which first opened its gates in 1990.
Bluesfest has weathered the storm, both figuratively and literally. The pandemic wiped out the 2021 edition. The next year, a last-minute cancellation due to a public health order from the NSW Government. Then, in 2022, a return to business and upwards of 105,000 ticket sales. A solid return for a mudfest – thanks to the intervention of Mother Nature. The Tyagarah site, north of Byron Bay, flooded weeks before showtime, and again on the eve of the action.
Attendance for 2024 was down to about 65,000. Bluesfest director Peter Noble announced 2025 was the swansong for this long-running event. Tickets, predictably, sold out. Then, the 2026 show was announced.
Noble got roasted online for his change of heart, but in an interview with this reporter, the veteran impresario suggested he was exhausted from the growing challenges with putting on the show, and that “I didn’t want to do it anymore.”
Previously, Noble had described the festivals landscape in these parts as an industry facing an “extinction event.” Not every event will survive. “People are doing it tough in Australia right now. And they’re not going out as much as they did,” he remarked. The numbers check out. Bluesfest reported 60,000-65,000 attendees in 2024, down from a pre-COVID average of 85,000.
Bluesfest 2026 was scheduled for April 2-5 at the Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah, near Byron Bay, NSW.
The show is the latest to festival to fall on hard times. In recent years, the likes of Rolling Loud Australia, Esoteric Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, Listen Out and others have paused their events, or disappeared entirely from the calendar.
Bluesfest ticket holders, including parking pass customers and campers, will be contacted directly by the appointed liquidator, according to the Bluesfest statement. Additional information regarding the process for submitting claims and any potential refund arrangements will be shared in due course.
