Birdsville Big Red Bash: Another major music festival CANCELLED, dealing devastating blow to Australia’s live music scene

Another major Australian music festival has been cancelled, marking a disastrous year for an already struggling entertainment industry.

Birdsville Big Red Bash 2025 will not take place next year. The event’s organizers have announced that the festival will be postponed until 2026.

The event takes place at the Big Red Dune, 35km west of Birdsville in the Simpson Desert in Queensland. near the Northern Territory and South Australia borders — and has been in continuous operation since 2013, before the Covid lockdowns.

“The iconic music festival Birdsville Big Red Bash will take a hiatus in 2025,” the Outback Music Festival Group (OMFG) said in a statement on Thursday.

‘After eleven successful years of organizing the event and overcoming so many challenges and obstacles along the way, our amazing team is ready for a break to reset and recharge. So we are taking a “BRB breather” in 2025.

‘This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we know it will cause disappointment for those who have the Big Red Bash in their 2025 travel plans, and for businesses in Outback Queensland who benefit from the influx of travellers the event brings to the region.’

This year, thousands of revellers descended on the outback for the world’s most remote music festival.

Birdsville Big Red Bash organised a successful festival this year with 14,000 visitors and a packed entertainment programme.

Birdsville Big Red Bash 2025 will not go ahead next year, with event organisers saying the festival will be postponed until 2026

Australian artists Tina Arena and Jon Stevens are joined by an epic line-up of over 30 artists.

Former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay opened the festivities with a lively performance of the band’s Australian anthem Down Under.

Meanwhile, music legend Shane Howard opened the main stage with a performance of his hits including ‘Solid Rock’ and ‘Razors Edge’.

The day also saw sets from ARIA-nominated country rock artist Casey Barnes, folk duo The Pierce Brothers, synthpop group Mi-Sex and Furnace and the Fundamentals.

The event takes place at the Big Red Dune, 35km west of Birdsville in the Simpson Desert in Queensland, close to the borders of the Northern Territory and South Australia.

This year thousands of revellers descended on the outback for the world’s most remote music festival

Dozens of well-known Australian acts took to the stage over the next two days, including Tim Finn, Jon Stevens, Ian Moss, Vanessa Amorosi, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton, Chocolate Starfish and many more.

Other performers included Diesel, Baby Animals, Bjorn Again, The Rolling Stones Revue with Phil Jamieson, Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers, Ash Grunwald, Fanny Lumsden, Sarah McLeod, Hayley Mary, Steve Balbi and Amy Ryan.

There were also indoor activities with an outback theme outside the stage, so that partygoers didn’t have to be bored.

DInside, a floral painting featuring Two Sisters Talking, Joyce Crombie and Jean Barr Crombie, traditional owners and Wankangurru/Yarluyandi women from Birdsville was on display.

Birdsville Big Red Bash organised a successful festival this year with 14,000 visitors and a packed entertainment programme

Australian artists Tina Arena (pictured) and Jon Stevens are joined by an epic line-up of over 30 artists

More activities like the Nutbush City Limits World Record dance off attempt, morning yoga, toilet door painting, comedy, film screenings, helicopter rides, camel rides and charity initiatives all take place outdoors.

At last year’s festival, 5,467 people broke the world record for the largest human representation of a country when they came together to create the shape of Australia from above.

The Birdsville Big Red Bash is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and is part of the It’s Live! events calendar in Queensland.

The festival generates over $20 million in economic benefits for outback Queensland and has raised over $1 million for the Royal Flying Doctors since 2016.

The three-day festival was founded in 2013 and is now regarded as a ‘bucket list event’ for Australian music lovers.

The group also organises the annual Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash in the far west of New South Wales.

During last year’s festival, 5,467 people broke the world record for the largest human representation of a country when they came together to create the shape of Australia from above