General Admission Events, the organiser of Adelaide festivals including FOMO and Groovin the Moo, falls into liquidation

The organiser of the Adelaide versions of major music festivals including FOMO Festival and Groovin the Moo has collapsed – another victim of COVID-19.

An events company that ran local versions of major music festivals including FOMO Festival and Groovin the Moo has collapsed as the future of major events hangs in the air.

Liquidators have been appointed to wind up General Admission Events, which according to director Gareth Lewis was left close to $150,000 out of pocket following the collapse of FOMO Festival last year.

With COVID-19 bringing the events industry to a standstill last year, Mr Lewis said the company was unable to pay suppliers.

According to documents lodged with ASIC, the company owes suppliers around $85,000, while the ATO is the biggest creditor with a debt of close to $125,000.

“When the FOMO Festival ultimately collapsed last year it left us holding the debts in South Australia,” Mr Lewis said.

“With the festival industry shut down there was no other way to raise the money to pay off the debts.

“We did approach the State Government last year to see if they would pay the local suppliers who were owed money but they rejected our pleas.”

Festivalgoers at the FOMO Music Festival at Parramatta Park in Sydney. Picture: David Swift

FOMO Festival was one of the country’s biggest music festivals before it entered liquidation last year owing hundreds of creditors around $6.2m.

Three-time Grammy winner Lizzo headlined the festival’s 2020 dates in January, performing at the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide legs of the festival.

However, COVID-19 soon brought to an end the line-up of other music festivals that were planned throughout last year.

Over seven years, General Admission Events ran dozens of major music festivals in Adelaide, including Parklife, Soundwave and Future Music Festival.

Groovin the Moo is one of the few current festivals that has flagged its intention to return in 2022, and Mr Lewis said he was open to reconnecting with its promoters to host the event in Adelaide.

General Admission Events director Gareth Lewis. Picture: Calum Robertson

“Until touring festivals come back, if they come back, we’ll work it out then,” he said.

“I can’t see anything major happening this year but you never know.”

A related company, General Admission Entertainment, currently runs the Adelaide UniBar and the annual Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival.

While ASIC documents suggest that entity owes $182,000 to the failed company, Mr Lewis said it would have no impact on the ongoing operation of the UniBar or Beer & BBQ Festival, which is expected to return later this year.

Liquidator Daniel Lopresti from Clifton Hall said the end of JobKeeper, and expectations that the ATO would start to crack down on tax debts, were likely to result in a major increase in insolvencies in the coming months.

“We expect to see that impact on SME businesses like this and we will also see some flow on effect to larger businesses as well,” he said.