‘Heartbroken’: Splendour in the Grass has been cancelled for 2024

The music festival has announced its cancellation just six days after going on sale with a line-up topped by pop ­superstar Kylie Minogue.

Splendour’s cancellation comes two weeks after it announced its line-up, with superstars such as Kylie Minogue, rapper Future, and Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire headlining the event.

One of Australia’s leading music festivals, Splendour in the Grass, has announced its cancellation just six days after going on sale with a line-up topped by pop ­superstar Kylie Minogue.

“With a heavy heart, we’re announcing the cancellation of Splendour in the Grass 2024,” organisers wrote on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon. “We know there were many fans excited for this year’s line-up and all the great artists planning to join us, but due to unexpected events we’ll be taking the year off.”

Held at North Byron Parklands in NSW with a daily capacity of 50,000 attendees, the annual camping festival has grown from small beginnings in 2001 to become a tentpole event of the nation’s live music calendar.

Its scuttling has sent shockwaves across an embattled festival sector, and it represents a significant loss to hundreds of skilled industry crew and suppliers booked to work in July, as well as what is likely to be a multimillion-dollar loss to the promoter, Secret Sounds, in booking deposits already paid to artists and ­suppliers.

In a further statement, festival co-founders Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco said on Wednesday: “We’re heartbroken to be missing a year, especially after more than two decades in operation. This festival has always been a huge community effort, and we’d like to thank everyone for their support and overall faith. We hope to be back in the future.”

Organisers had scored a coup by booking Minogue – who has been cresting a fresh wave of ­global popularity at 55 – to headline on Friday July 19, followed by US hip-hop artist Future and Canadian indie rock act Arcade Fire on the Saturday and Sunday nights, respectively.

Other artists who were booked to perform this year include G Flip, Turnstile, Tash Sultana, Yeat, Hayden James, Girl In Red and Baby Gravy.

It was a diverse musical line-up that featured established acts alongside some first-time Australian visitors who had become popular on social video platform TikTok.

Last week, Ducrou told The Australian: “It’s really difficult at the ­moment, booking headliners globally; all festivals are finding it challenging. I’m excited that our line-up is, in some ways, so different to what’s playing out around the rest of the world, where you’re seeing ­largely the same acts.”

In announcing the cancellation on Wednesday, organisers did not specify a reason, but industry sources suggest low ticket sales were the most likely factor.

Three-day event tickets were priced at $417, single-day tickets cost $192, and camping tickets were priced at $172 each.

Speaking on Wednesday, a senior booking agent told The Australian: “If you’re so far behind the eight ball, you’re better off ripping off the Band-Aid early and cancelling.

“If you start sluggish, there’s contract terms in place for second deposits to be paid by certain dates,” said the source, who is experienced in booking major festivals. “You’re faced with the question of whether you pay those deposits to the headliners, which could be another couple of million dollars – or are sales that barren it’s not worth taking the risk?”

After going on sale to the general public last Thursday, it seems that the Secret Sounds team had seen enough action – or lack thereof – in the market by Wednesday to make the difficult decision to call it off. Ticket holders will be refunded automatically.

The news caps a tough few years for Splendour in the Grass. After missing its 2020 and 2021 events due to the pandemic, the first day of its sold-out 2022 festival was cancelled due to concerns for patron safety amid wild weather, and last year ticket sales were down about 30 per cent, which marked the first year since 2011 the event had not sold out.

On Thursday, annual camping festival Byron Bay Bluesfest will kick off a five-day playing schedule headlined by Jack Johnson, Tom Jones, Jimmy Barnes and Ben Harper.

Its ticket sales have been sluggish, too, according to industry sources – but even amid straitened conditions, the 35th edition of Bluesfest will play on this year – unlike Splendour.