Return to Rio has become the latest in a long line of Australian music festivals to get the axe.
In an Instagram post, they said they were cancelling the festival ‘after a lot of thought’ and with a ‘heavy heart’ but shared their hopes to return again in 2025.
They claimed that additional costs imposed by NSW Police and Health to cover policing and medical services have made it ‘almost impossible’ to run the event.
‘After a lot of thought, and with very heavy hearts we’re sad to announce Return to Rio 2024 won’t be going ahead,’ organisers penned in a lengthy statement.
Return to Rio has become the latest in a long line of Australian music festivals to get the axe as organisers confirmed it has been cancelled due to rising costs
‘Return to Rio has an excellent record as a safe and well-run festival and has operated successfully for over a decade without any major incidents.
‘But last year it was decided that our police and medical costs should increase by a whopping 529 per cent.
‘This, combined with the extra rules and regulations we have to adhere to, meant last year we incurred more than $300K in extra costs. For a small family-run business, this makes it almost impossible not to run at a loss.’
‘With so many people struggling financially right now, passing these crazy-high fees onto you is not something we’re prepared to do,’ they went on.
The 2023 edition took place from October 27-29 in Wisemans Ferry and attracted DJs including Amonita, Anthony Pappa and Bushwacka!, among others
‘We believe we all have the right to enjoy festivals as the rest of the world manages to do safely without this heavy-handedness. But sadly, it’s becoming impossible to keep doing what we do here in NSW.
‘So, we’re stepping out of the game this year, in the hope that this madness stops, and common sense prevails. We hope to be back bigger and better in 2025. Much love.’
The 2023 edition took place from October 27-29 in Wisemans Ferry and attracted DJs including Amonita, Anthony Pappa and Bushwacka!, among others.
It is the latest in a long line of festivals Down Under to be axed this year, causing concern over the future of live music in Australia.
It is the latest in a long line of festivals Down Under to be axed this year, causing concern over the future of live music in Australia (pictured: Groovin The Moo in 2019)
Hugely-popular festival Groovin The Moo – which was set to be headlined by Alice Wonderland (above) this year – was forced to cancel, two months before it was set to kick off
Groovin The Moo is one of Australia’s largest music festivals and has been running every year since 2005, apart from 2020 and 2021, when it was halted due to Covid.
This year, the music extravaganza had been set to tour cities including Wayville, Canberra, Bendigo, Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast between April 25 and May 11.
However, in February, organisers announced that the 2024 festival had been forced to cancel, just two months before it was set to kick off.
Just one week after tickets went on sale, organisers confirmed the regional shows would no longer be going ahead this year, citing poor ticket sales.
Splendour in the Grass had been due to take place from July 19 to 21 at the North Byron Parklands, with Kylie Minogue headlining.
Splendour in the Grass had been due to take place from July 19 to 21 at the North Byron Parklands, with Kylie Minogue headlining, but it was also axed due to ‘unexpected events’
But the 2024 event was cancelled just weeks after the line-up was announced, with organisers citing ‘unexpected events’ as the reason behind the decision as its future remains uncertain.
NYE In The Park collapsed after it was unable to pay its debts, while ValleyWays and Tent Pole Music Festival were also cancelled amid the ‘impossible’ economic climate.
Amid the cancellations, Dance Monkey singer Tones And I issued a dire warning about the future of festivals in Australia.
She urged fans to support local artists and events as well as huge global names as she warned that Australia won’t ‘have any festivals’ left amid the cancellations.
Amid the cancellations, Dance Monkey singer Tones And I issued a dire warning about the future of festivals in Australia as she urged people to support local artists
She said: ‘Splendour in the Grass 2024 has been cancelled and it’s pretty sad as we also lost Groovin the Moo and Falls Festival in the past few years and we don’t know if it’s going to come back.
‘I think that it’s important now more than ever to buy tickets to your favourite bands, go to live shows, go to festivals even if you just love the atmosphere, because these guys aren’t coming back – some of these festivals can’t and they need that support.
‘I understand that everyone gets so excited when overseas artists come over, and that’s really exciting, but soon we’re really not going to have any festivals left, which is not only going to deter overseas acts from coming over but it’s really going to hinder the up-and-coming Australian live music scene.
‘Do your best to support local artists and local festivals in your own country if you can.’
