Experts weigh in on the future of Lorne-born Falls Festival

Six years ago, a quiet paddock near Lorne was alive with thousands of revellers ringing in the New Year at what would be Falls Festival’s final hurrah in Lorne. Now, there are doubts the festival will ever return to its home of 25 years — or at all.

Crowds get a cooling off in the sweltering heat at Falls in Lorne. Picture: Andrew Henshaw.

Today, the property at 985 Erskine Falls Rd sits dormant; a picturesque paddock tucked away in the Otway Ranges.

But for the final days of December between the years 1993–2018, the hills roared to life as punters poured in to see the best acts money could buy.

In that time, up to 16,000 people per year made the pilgrimage to Lorne for a range of live musical acts spanning punk, folk, rap, indie rock, and electronic dance music.

It has been six years since Falls took place in Lorne, and there are real concerns it might never come back.

But to understand why, you need to go back to the beginning.

Founder Simon Daly started the festival, originally called Rock Above The Falls, in 1993.

Twenty years later it was still very much the same “family business” as when it had started, but with two more locations and an extra 30,000 people to look after.

“My wife was running the Tasmanian event, my sister was overall general manager, and mum was the book keeper … and so much more,” said Mr Daly.

However, a moment of clarity made him realise it was the right time to step away.

“It’s a big ask, there is a lot of pressure … and we had a real awareness at some point that the weather would bite us,” he said.

“Those things that kept me up at night did become a problem … it was fortuitous in the end.”

Falls founder Simon Daly in 2013. Picture: Leanne Churchill.

In 2015, fires raging in nearby Wye River forced the event to temporarily relocate from its Erskine Falls home to Mt Duneed Estate.

In 2019, extreme fire danger forced it to cancel completely.

This prompted a re-evaluation of the site’s suitability, and after two years of delays thanks to Covid and a VCAT stoush as locals opposed the festival’s proposed new home at Murroon, south of Birregurra - Falls moved to Melbourne in 2022.

Now, its future is uncertain – in 2023, organisers Secret Sounds announced they were taking the year off running the festival and have been silent on its return ever since.

Secret Sounds and parent company Live Nation did not respond to requests for comment.

Strong competition has not helped them in an already cutthroat industry.

Mr Daly said other multi-day, multi-genre festivals like Beyond The Valley (BTV) had read the conditions better than others.

“Within two years of my exit from Falls, they had landed in such an impressive way,” he said.

“They would’ve one hundred per cent out-promoted me in that demographic … they’ve been at the forefront of that [change in taste].”

There is no doubt the live entertainment industry has fallen on hard times — other Secret Sounds run festivals like Splendour in the Grass and Spilt Milk both cancelled in 2024, as well as Bluesfest and Groovin the Moo.

Australian Festivals Association managing director Mitch Wilson said Falls was among “30 to 40” other festivals to bite the dust since 2022.

“We have seen some changes in what audiences are looking for post-Covid and there are some more genre specific festivals that have seen consistently better ticket sales,” they said.

However, Falls’ problems were “not indicative” of the entire industry.

“Falls just met a bunch of challenging circumstances in the lead up to Covid and that had an impact on their decision to bring it back,” Wilson said.

“When you get to that size and take that much time off, it’s really hard to start where you were and have the same community.”

Crowds at Falls Festival Lorne 2018. Picture: Anthony Smith

Clearly, a large chunk of that audience is still interested in the experience that Falls offered.

“I don’t think its impossible for a festival over new year’s in that part of Victoria to be successful … BTV is operating not too far away and is going to have its biggest year yet,” Wilson said.

“There are lots of positive things that are happening at the moment and BTV is a testament to that.”

BTV’s Hesse home is just half an hour from Falls proposed site near Birregurra and has a larger capacity - 35,000.

Without a home and competing with BTV, it is unclear if Falls Festival will return at all, let alone to Lorne.

Surf Coast Shire mayor Mike Bodsworth said Falls served as a “great drawcard” for the area over its 25 year run.

“It was a fantastic event; a celebration right up high at the top of the Otways at a magnificent site that showcased the best of Lorne,” he said.

“It had a really special vibe and we love to see people come and visit and participate in events.”

Mr Bodsworth said events were a huge part of the local economy.

“The Surf Coast Shire council has a big events program and we’re really proud of the events that run on the Surf Coast.”

There’s a lot to be thankful for with our events program and we will wait and see if that festival or others have a place here in the future.”

UK band Jungle perform at the Lorne site for Falls Festival. Picture: Nicole Cleary.

However, as it stands the legacy of the festival is “preserved”, according to Mr Daly.

“Falls was about summertime escapism among complete beauty … If it was still chugging along in Melbourne, the experience would be completely watered down,” he said.

“Some amazing artists came all the way to Australia to this small farm; they could fill out a stadium but they chose Lorne for the unique feel … that captured the imagination of a lot of people.”

Now, Mr Daly runs a new festival, Wanderer, on the southern coast of New South Wales.

Like Falls, it is underpinned by community and a love of programming events.

Originally published as Experts weigh in on the future of Lorne-born Falls Festival