Bluesfest to end after 35 years: Byron Bay music festival announcement comes as a shock
Bluesfest, one of Australia’s longest running music festivals, is closing after 35 years.
Byron Bay Music Festival announced on Wednesday that the four-day festival starting on April 17, 2025, will be the “final applause”.
‘Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia’s most prestigious and award-winning music festival ever, is proud to announce that the 2025 edition will be the final applause,’ the announcement read.
‘After 35 years of celebrating the very best in Blues, Roots Music and More, the legendary institution that has brought the world’s best artists to Australia, plus a host of our own, is hosting its final festival.’
The final Bluesfest takes place from April 12-20 at Byron Events Farm, just outside Byron Bay, NSW.
Festival Director Peter Noble OAM said Bluesfest was a “labour of love” and a celebration of community, music and the resilient spirit of fans.
However, Mr Noble, who has been at the helm of the festival since 1994 and has been in the music industry for more than 50 years, said it was time to “close this chapter”.
“As much as it pains me to say this, after the 2025 festival it is time to close this chapter,” he said.
BluesFest has announced that the 2025 festival will be the last
The music festival has been held in Byron Bay since 1990
“To my dear Bluesfest family, I want to make this the most unforgettable experience yet. If you’ve been thinking about it, this is your last chance to experience our beloved festival.”
Fans were encouraged to purchase tickets and become part of the iconic legacy and history of Bluesfest, with the 2025 lineup promising to feature many of the festival’s best artists.
Like many other Australian festivals, Bluesfest has faced a number of challenges, including cost increases, changes in ticketing behaviour and being forced to close due to the Covid pandemic and extreme weather conditions.
Bluesfest was shut down in 2020 due to state-imposed restrictions on mass gatherings. The following year, the event was canceled just days before it was scheduled to open after a single case of Covid was diagnosed.
The festival made a bang in 2022, with a total attendance of ‘around 100,000’ people over five days.
The 2022 festival headlined some of Australia’s biggest artists, including Jimmy Barnes, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers and The Cat Empire.
However, the 2023 and 2024 Bluesfest events failed to sell out, putting Mr Noble under financial pressure.
Next year
But the 2023 and 2024 events failed to sell out, leaving Noble, 75, under financial pressure to find artists, staff and suppliers to stage the 2025 shows.
More coming soon…
Music festival director Peter Noble said Bluesfest was a celebration of music, community and the resilient spirit of its fans (pictured, 2023 festival-goers)
Pictured: Jess Gomes and Nicole Trunfio at Bluesfest
