Bluesfest: Byron Bay music festival cancelled due to poor ticket sales just weeks ahead of event

Popular Byron Bay music festival Bluesfest has been cancelled just weeks out from its first day on April 2.

The event, which has been a huge hit since its inception in 1990, was set to take place over the Easter long weekend run and was headlined by iconic New Zealand rockers Split Enz, who were reuniting for their first Australian show in two decades. 

Multiple industry sources have confirmed the festival has been cancelled this year due to poor ticket sales, according to The Daily Telegraph. 

An official statement is expected to be released later on Friday. 

In addition to Split Enz, other performers set to appear at the event included The Black Crowes, Earth, Wind & Fire, and blues legend Buddy Guy. 

Daily Mail has reached out to the event organisers for further comment. 

Bluesfest called it quits in 2025 after 35 years, marking the end of one of Australia's longest-running music festivals.

However, organisers later announced the event would return for an ‘encore’ in 2026. 

Its return followed the 2024 announcement that the four‑day event beginning April 17, 2025, would be its ‘final curtain call’.

'Bluesfest Byron Bay, Australia's premier and most awarded music festival in Australia ever, proudly announces that the 2025 edition will be its final curtain call,' organisers said of the cancellation at the time.

'After 35 years of celebrating the very best in Blues, Roots music, and beyond, the legendary institution that has brought the world's greatest artists to Australia, plus a whole bunch of our own, will host its last festival.'

Festival director Peter Noble OAM said at the time Bluesfest was a 'labour of love' and celebration of community, music and resilient spirit of the fans.

However, Mr Noble, who has been at the helm of the festival since 1994 and in the music industry for more than 50 years, said it was time to 'close this chapter'.

'After the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it's time to close this chapter,' he said.

'To my dear Bluesfest family, I want to make it the most unforgettable experience yet. If you've been thinking about it, now is your last chance to experience our beloved festival,' he added.

Like many Australian festivals, Bluesfest has faced many challenges including cost increases, changes in ticket-buying behaviour and being forced to shut down due to the Covid pandemic and extreme weather.

Bluesfest was shut down in 2020 due to state-imposed mass gathering restrictions and the following year was cancelled just days before it opened after a sole Covid case was detected.

The festival returned with a bang in 2022 with a combined audience attendance over the five days of 'about 100,000' people.

The 2022 festival was headlined by some of Australia's biggest artists including Jimmy Barnes, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers and The Cat Empire.

That same year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese - who was the opposition leader at the time - also graced the Bluesfest stage but was booed by fans while introducing rock legend Jimmy Barnes.

However, the 2023 and 2024 Bluesfest events did not sell out, which placed Mr Noble under financial pressure.

The festival was then trimmed down from five to four days in 2025 due to cost increases and falling ticket sales.

Bluesfest, which has been staged in Byron Bay since 1990, has drawn some of the biggest names in blues and roots music.

International stars including Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, Tom Jones, Kendrick Lamar and Paul Simon have performed on the festival's stage.

Other local talent including Cold Chisel, Kasey Chambers and Dan Sultan made appearances at the festival over the years.