New Big Day Out owners C3 Presents cancel popular music festival with no word of when it will return

THE 2015 Big Day Out has been cancelled as new owners C3 Presents promise it will return — but won’t say where or when.

All the colour from the Gold Coast leg of the 2012 Big Day Out music festival, held at Southport Parklands, Southport, Gold Coast. Photo of (L-R) Pic. Brendan Radke EE422512 Pic. Supplied Pic. Supplied

THE 2015 Big Day Out has been cancelled as new owners C3 Presents promise it will return — but won’t say where or when.

C3 Presents, owners of fabled US festival Lollapalooza festival, today confirmed the beleaguered Australian music festival will not return in 2015.

“C3 Presents is proud to own Big Day Out, one of the most iconic and established festival brands in the world. While we intend to bring back the festival in future years, we can confirm there will not be a Big Day Out in 2015,” read a statement from the festival’s new owner,”

“We love working on BDO and are excited about the future.”

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The company would not say when or where the event would return.

There won’t be these scenes next year, Big Day Out has been cancelled

The festival has traditionally opened in Auckland before playing the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

C3 became the sole owners of the Australian music festival this week after Soundwave festival promoter AJ Maddah handed over his 50 per cent share in the event to the US company.

Gold Coast Suns chief operating officer Andrew Travis said today festival organisers had paid a deposit to secure Metricon Stadium, at Carrara, for January 18, 2015.

The refreshed festival format is expected to be announced in the near future. Pic by Luke Marsden.

“We’re holding that date with a deposit. So from our position, the last discussions we had with BDO a month ago was to confirm that date. And we’re proceeding on that basis. Our booking terms secure dates by way of a deposit.”

He said dates were on hold for the festival to be held at Metricon in January 2016 and 2017 although no deposit had been taken for those event yet.

“We take deposits on a year by year basis. The 2016 and 2017 dates are TBA but they are tentatively for the third week of January,” Mr Travis said.

In April this year, Recreation Minister Steve Dickson announced the popular festival would rock the Gold Coast for another three years.

Sam Burdack and Nash Howes keep cool at this year’s Big Day Out at Metricon Stadium. Picture: Brendan Radke.

Mr Dickson said the festival, which drew 35,000 music lovers in January, would make Carrara’s Metricon Stadium its Gold Coast home until 2017.

The Big Day Out was moved to Metricon Stadium this year following the closure of Parklands Showgrounds.