Splendour in the Grass will not be returning in 2025.
Organisers have officially confirmed that the beloved Byron Bay music festival will not go ahead for the second year in a row.
‘Hey gang, sorry it’s been so quiet, but we had a little holiday…finally,’ a statement published on the festival’s social media channels on Thursday began.
‘The rest of the festival team have still been busy cooking up some awesome new things for music lovers in Australia, but Splendour needs a little more time to recharge and we won’t be back this year.’
The 2024 Splendour festival, which was set to feature the likes of Kylie Minogue, G Flip, Tash Sultana, and Fontaines D.C., was axed less than a week after tickets went on sale, with organisers citing ‘unexpected events’ as the reason behind the last minute cancellation.
There is no guarantee that the festival is slated to return in 2026, however organisers asked music fans to ‘think of it as a breather so we can come back even bigger and better when the time is right.’
Splendour in the Grass will not be returning in 2025
. Organisers have officially confirmed that the beloved Byron Bay music festival will not go ahead for the second year in a row
The statement ended on a more hopeful note, with Splendour organisers saying there are ‘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!’ they added.
Social media reactions were mixed, but most people who commented said they were reading between the lines in the statement, and started saying their goodbyes to Splendour.
‘Stop lying Splendour, you’re never coming back,’ one person wrote.
‘Well, there goes our youth. No more Splendour,’ added another.
‘You won’t be back. Bye Splendour and thank you for the life changing memories,’ said a third.
‘It’s over, it’s gone,’ someone else announced to the group. ‘Thanks for the mem[orie]s and thanks for letting us know early so we can just say “f**k it” and go to Europe for our winter festival tickets.’
There was a fairly even split between fans of the festival who sympathised with the organisers, and said they understood exponentially rising costs are to blame – and the people who argued Splendour could return if only it didn’t produce an ‘all Triple J line up.’
‘Stop obsessing over identity politics and just create a lineup that appeals to the majority of Australians that care about the music,’ one self-identified musician commented on Facebook.
‘It’s really not that hard. Signed a full-time musician who plays Wonderwall every weekend because he knows what Aussies want.’
‘Sad to see another festival not go ahead this year, but on the other side, in what world did people actually want to see Kylie Minogue headline?’
Social media reaction is mixed, with some fans begging for the festival to return and others saying big changes need to happen before they will buy tickets
In a separate statement to Rolling Stone, ticketing and touring company Live Nation said the Splendour festivals team ‘has our full support to bring Splendour in the Grass back when they feel it’s right.’
Live music fans and promoters had hoped that the tent pole festival would return this year.
Splendour’s 2024 cancellation saw a domino-effect of music festivals topple from June, with organisers citing rising costs among the biggest barrier to putting on the beloved events.
When announcing the 2024 cancellation last March, organisers said: ‘due to unexpected events, we’ll be taking the year off.
Some Splendour fans said Splendour’s lacklustre linups were to blame for the festival’s demise
‘We thank you for your understanding and will be working hard to be back in future years.’
Splendour co-founders Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco added at the time: ‘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.’
Live music fans and promoters had hoped that the tent pole festival would return this year, after 2024 saw a domino-effect of music festivals topple after Splendour made its cancellation
‘Splendour needs more time to recharge and won’t be back this year,’ Splendour in the Grass organisers announced
They went to say the Byron Bay festival will be back ‘bigger and better’ when ‘the time is right’
Since its inception in 2001, Splendour in the Grass has been held in various locations across NSW and Queensland.
At the height of its popularity, the festival attracted 50,000 revellers across the three days, but this year’s line-up copped criticism over its lack of renowned headlining international acts
In the past, Splendour has nabbed a slew of international acts including Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, Flume, Queens of the Stone Age and The Smashing Pumpkins.
