Splendour in The Grass 2024 has been cancelled as of midday, six days after tickets went on sale and two weeks after the lineup was announced. The festival was cancelled presumably due to low ticket sales and rising costs. Splendour was unable to sell out tickets in 2023, with 30% of tickets remaining as of the show. 2023 was the first year Splendour had not sold out of tickets to the festival.

Splendour is one of many festivals to cancel or postpone this year, as promoters feel the impact of continually rising insurance costs. Dark Mofo, Falls Festival and Groovin the Moo are among some of the most notable cancellations in the past year. Festival-goers are unable to commit as readily to festival tickets and trips due to rising costs of living eating into disposable income.

As festivals become more expensive to promote and run, the future of the festival industry is in question.

Image: Image: Splendour in The Grass Facebook Page

Produced By: Steven Samaras

Featured In Story: Dr Ben Green, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Griffith University Centre for Social and Cultural Research.

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 27 March 2024