Iconic Aussie festival’s sad announcement

One of Australia’s biggest and best-loved music festivals is going to end for good after one last hurrah.

The organisers of the iconic Bluesfest Byron Bay have announced that the 2025 edition will be its final year.

After 35 years the legendary institution, that has brought some of the world’s greatest artists to Australia, will host its last festival on the legendary Byron Events Farm.

It becomes the latest in a string of Aussie festivals to announce their closure over the last few months.

The decision to end the festival wasn’t taken lightly, and Festival Director Peter Noble explained the move in a statement on Wednesday morning.

There is a fake Facebook page imitating Bluesfest Byron Bay. Picture: Bluesfest/Facebook

“To my Dear Bluesfest Family after more than 50 years in the music business, Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community, and the resilient spirit of our fans,” he said.

“But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter.

“As I said earlier this year at Bluesfest 2024, next year’s festival will be happening and it definitely is, but it will be our last. To my dear Bluesfest family, I want to make it the most unforgettable experience yet. If you’ve been thinking about it, now is your last chance to experience our beloved festival.”

Over the years, the festival hosted an incredible array of iconic artists, including Blues legends like BB King and Buddy Guy, music legends such as Santana, Bob Dylan, Mavis Staples, Paul Simon, Bonnie Rait and Robert Plant, and contemporary greats like Dave Matthews Band, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, John Mayer, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.

The final Bluesfest next year will be a four-day event held over the Easter long weekend from April 17 to 20, 2025.

The legendary festival has been running for more than three decades. Photo: Gracie Kessels.

Earlier this year, the festival hit headlines after it became a target of a well-made fraudulent social media page which was targeting fans with a scam.

A fake page claiming to be “selling” full video replays, after offering live streams during the festival had fooled hundreds of fans who had shared their credit card details only to be left with nothing.

“Now my credit card has been blocked by (the) bank, so frustrating,” one woman commented on the page.

“Is this why all my scam safeguards are shutting my accounts down,” said another man.

A post shared on social media said organisers were “actively reporting these fake entities to Facebook,” and urged fans to spread the word, and report any suspicious pages or groups.

“We’ve noticed an increase in fake pages, groups, and events claiming to be associated with our beloved Bluesfest. We want to remind everyone that there is ONLY ONE official Bluesfest Page,” the post said.

“We do not host live streams of our events. Any page or group offering live streams is not affiliated with us.

“Take personal responsibility when using your credit card online. Always ensure you’re on the official Bluesfest website before making any purchases or donations.”

Originally published as Iconic Aussie festival’s sad announcement