Another Australian music festival axed as Parkway Drive scrap Park Waves tour

A top Aussie band has cancelled their own touring festival, becoming another casualty of the country’s ongoing music industry crisis.

A new music festival by Australian metal juggernaut Parkway Drive has been axed, with the band describing the announcement as a “kick in the guts”.

Touring festival Park Waves was set to hit Adelaide next year, one of 11 mostly regional stops across the country through February and March.

But event organisers, including Parkway Drive and Destroy All Lines, revealed “rising costs” had forced the cancellation of the festival, which was headlined by metal bands The Amity Affliction, Northlane, Alpha Wolf and Story of the Year.

“This is a message we never imagined we’d have to write, and it weighs heavily on us,” Parkway Drive wrote in a message on their social media accounts.

“Just writing this feels like a kick in the guts, but here we are – another festival being crushed by the rising costs across our entertainment industry. It hurts to be another casualty in this chapter of the Australian music scene.

Australian metalcore legends Parkway Drive. Photo by Third Eye Visuals.

Winston McCall, frontman of Parkway Drive, performing at a European music festival in 2024. Picture: Third Eye Visuals

“We’ve tried every possible option to keep this dream alive but the reality of the circumstances won’t allow for it.”

Destroy All Lines said they were “devastated” that the touring festival would not be going ahead.

“The cancellation is due to a combination of challenges, and ultimately, the numbers no longer stack up,” they wrote in a statement.

“With a heavy heart, we’ve had to make a difficult decision. We’ve tried everything. We’re gutted.”

All ticketholders will receive a full refund.

ARIA award-winning Parkway Drive announced the new festival earlier this year, describing it as a “rolling heavy metal travelling circus”.

“If you think of the idea of Mad Max but as a music event, this is it,” frontman Winston McCall told The Advertiser in October.

“It’s a live-action movie, but it’s also something that’s very personal.”

Park Waves’ axing comes at a time of great uncertainty for the Australian music industry, which has seen a host of big events canned over the last 12-18 months.

Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, Changing Tides, Promise Village, Valleyways, Spilt Milk, Return to Rio, Coastal Jam, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole Festival, Caloundra Music Festival and Big Red Bash are among the well-known music events cancelled since 2024.

Originally published as Another Australian music festival axed as Parkway Drive scrap Park Waves tour