A popular music festival has been permanently cancelled due to rising costs, falling ticket sales, and issues in the music industry.
The Sunshine Coast Council revealed it had made the difficult decision to discontinue the major live music event.
Organisers of the festival, which had been backed by the council, confirmed in April the event would be taking a break this year.
But on Tuesday, the council announced in the 2024-2025 budget that the festival could no longer be funded.
“Patrons who attended the 2023 event were the lucky last to have experienced a Caloundra Music Festival,” the council said in a statement.
“Following the adoption of the 2024-25 Council Budget on June 20, the Caloundra Music Festival will no longer be funded by Council.”
Caloundra Music Festival had been a major event for the Sunshine Coast since 2007 but faced a tough few years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The council pulled the plug due to rising operating costs and a drop in ticket sales due to increasing cost-of-living pressures.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the decision to cancel the event for good was “difficult”.
“Rising costs, falling ticket sales and uncertainty in the music festival industry were felt to be too great a risk in the current climate,” Ms Natoli said.
“We recognise that music events are important for our community, and Council will continue to deliver smaller events and programs.”
A statement on the council’s website said locals are choosing to support singular artist tours and genre-specific line-ups rather than a general festival program.
Caloundra Music Festival is the latest in a long list of major festivals to be cancelled since the cost-of-living crisis swept across Australia.
Other festivals that have been cancelled include Splendour in the Grass, Groovin’ in the Moo, Coastal Jam, Vintage Vibes, Dark Mofo and Valleyways.
