An Australian music festival boasting international names such as Headie One and Jorja Smith has been cancelled just days after tickets went on sale for the Perth event.
Promise Village was set to bring an array of R&B, hip-hop and afrobeat talent to the West Coast for the first time in October; however, organisers have suddenly pulled the plug.
J Hus, Rema and Nemzzz were among the names meant to take to the stage at Langley Park as a spin-off of Queensland’s Promiseland weekender event on the Gold Coast.
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“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Promise Village on the 12th of October 2024 will no longer be going ahead,” an announcement on Megatix said.
“Refunds have been automatically processed so no action is required.
“Please allow up to five business days for the funds to reach your account used for purchase.”
Presale tickets for the Triple J supported festival went live five days ago, while general sale tickets only dropped on Monday.
7NEWS.com.au has contacted the festival organisers for comment.
It becomes the latest festival to call it quits as Australia’s hard battled live music scene struggles to recover post COVID-19.
Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo and Falls Festival are among the major names lost, with smaller events such as Caloundra Music Festival and Coastal Jam also on the list.
More than one third of Australian music festivals are losing money, according to an industry report that revealed it cost an average of $3.9 million to run a music festival.
Creative Australia’s first Soundcheck report, released in April, found that of the 51 festivals surveyed, more than half turned a profit. However, 35 per cent lost money, with a median deficit of $470,000.
Organisers say they are bleeding money, with skyrocketing operational costs, red tape and a lack of funding and grants were putting events on the chopping block.
Almost one-in-three organisers said they were still feeling the impact of COVID-19.
Insurance costs were another sore point after Australian live music venues’ public liability insurance policies increased 10-fold in the year to August 2023.
