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The 2025 Esoteric Festival, which features psychedelic music and art, has been cancelled after it was refused a permit.

‘Dance the pain away’: Cancelled festival offers consolation party in Melbourne

Fans of Esoteric festival, which was cancelled when Buloke Shire denied a permit at the last minute, have been invited to an alternative event on Sunday.

  • Hannah Kennelly

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Amyl & The Sniffers in action in Melbourne on January 24.

A levy on tickets, discounts for young fans: Live music probe makes recommendations

A federal inquiry into Australia’s live music industry has tabled its final report, providing advice to government on how to support the struggling sector.

  • Karl Quinn
Esoteric Festival is a large Australian bush doof – a regional rave gathering featuring psychedelic music and art.

‘Utterly devastated’: Popular regional festival cancelled at eleventh hour

A music and art festival which swells a small regional town six-fold has been cancelled one day before it was due to start leaving the town’s businesses devastated.

  • Alexander Darling
Ella Hooper.

‘It’s about time’: Ella Hooper on why female artists need Roar Fest

A revolutionary music festival – with an all-women line-up – is coming to St Kilda this weekend.

  • Kerrie O'Brien
Esoteric Festival is a large Australian bush doof – a regional rave gathering featuring psychedelic music and art.

How a popular bush doof festival became a gastro nightmare — and now faces the axe

A council in regional Victoria wants to block a psychedelic festival scheduled on Labour Day, citing health and safety concerns after a gastro outbreak last year.

  • Hannah Kennelly and Alexander Darling
Billy McFarland, who was handed a six-year prison term for criminal conduct associated with the 2017 Fyre Festival, has launched Fyre 2.

‘Crazy not to do it again’: Fraudster returns with Fyre Festival 2

After eight years, a prison sentence and a scathing documentary, Billy McFarland is back with a sequel, with tickets priced up to $1.7 million and no acts yet confirmed.

  • Daniel Lo Surdo
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Wollongong’s Yours and Owls festival.

First NSW music festival to allow pill testing revealed

The announcement marks a major win for drug reform advocates who have long called for pill testing in the state. 

  • Michael McGowan
Sex, drugs and underlying health issues: The diabolical cost of insuring old rockers

Sex, drugs and underlying health issues: The diabolical cost of insuring old rockers

The huge financial hit from abandoning a show means the stakes for ageing artists couldn’t be higher.

  • James Hall
Lunar New Year 2025, Parramatta.
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Chinese New Year in Sydney

Celebrations have been held across the city to usher in the start of the year of the snake.

Spotify is silencing Australian music, but it’s not the only culprit

Australian music is dwindling in popularity and policymakers are covering their ears.

  • Ben Eltham

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/music-festivals-1lzf