Photo Credit: Phillip
Australia’s Splendour in the Grass festival is canceled again this year—marking the second year in a row. Organizers posted the news to social media saying they needed a breather.
“The rest of the festival team have still been busy cooking up some awesome new things for music lovers in Australia,” the statement begins. “But Splendour needs a little more time to recharge and we won’t be back this year. Think of it as a breather so we can come back even bigger and better when the time is right.”
“Lots of other huge events on the horizon so keep an ear to the ground in the coming months—we can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on!”
Splendour in the Park is an annual music festival held since 2001. The festival has been located at Ngarindjin/North Byron Parklands, New South Wales since 2013 and is operated by Live Nation-backed Secret Sounds.
According to sources speaking with The Guardian Australia, the festival was unable to secure ‘overseas acts of enough caliber’ to headline the major Australian festival. Previous headliners for the festival have included Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Lizzo, Coldplay, and more. Prior to its cancellation last year, Splendour in the Grass announced a lineup featuring Kylie Minogue, Future, and Arcade Fire.
Digital Music News closely tracked festival closures last year, with more closures in 2025. The Africa Oyé music festival in Liverpool announced it would take a break in 2025—with this year canceled due to rising costs. 2024 was a record year for attendance for the festival, so it’s not like people aren’t going to music festivals. The enormous costs of putting on a live show have impacted UK festivals so much that the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) is seeking government intervention to lower VAT to 5% on ticket sales.