Big Pineapple Music Festival organiser reveals why there is no 2022 event

A Big Pineapple organiser has revealed the personal toll of the 2021 event and when the festival will make a comeback after confirming there’ll be no party this year.

An event organiser has confirmed the Sunshine Coast Big Pineapple Music Festival will not go ahead in 2022.

Big Pineapple organiser Mark Pico said planning for the festival would usually start in December and at that time in 2021 there was still uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 restrictions at music events.

Mr Pico is having a six-month European holiday and was in Prague in May, 2022, which is around the time the Sunshine Coast festival would usually run.

He confirmed the festival would be back in 2023.

Mr Pico said that in May, 2021, the festival was likely one of the only music events in the world to run in a gap between lockdowns.

Big Pineapple Music Festival organiser Mark Pico with an award the event has won in previous years.

“It was one of the most stressful times of my life,” Mr Pico said.

He said bands, managers and more were relying on the 2021 festival to go ahead and it was a good outcome for all involved when it got the green light.

The Big Pineapple Music Festival in 2019.

Mr Pico said his holiday had helped inspire him and he had even started to create music again.

“I wrote my first song in about 10 years,” he said.

The festival began in 2013 and was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Sunshine Coast Councillor Jason O’Pray, who holds the economic development portfolio, said the festival was definitely worth a “couple of million dollars” to the economy.

“It’s a wonderful event, it’s sad this happened to the event,” he said.

Councillor Jason O'Pray says the Sunshine Coast needs more festivals that are not sports-related.

“Everyone has their reasons for pushing things back, it’s an early call, a good call and I’m not disappointed in them.”

The councillor said the Sunshine Coast needed more events that were not sport-related.

He said music festivals had received a battering worldwide due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They’re fighting the weather elements as well, they’re fighting ticket sales and they’re fighting to get the talent as well,” Mr O’Pray said.

Visit Sunshine Coast chief executive Matt Stoeckel said events benefited accommodation, tours, transport and restaurant businesses.

He said the festival had traditionally attracted a younger demographic to the region.

“While they may initially be coming for the music, we hope they have such a good experience that they return for future holidays with their friends and families,” Mr Stoeckel said.