It promised to bring a taste of Glastonbury and Coachella to New Zealand’s shores but, it seems, not enough people were interested.
The monumental Echo Festival at McLaren Valley has been cancelled due to slow ticket sales.
In a statement posted to its official Facebook page, organisers announced that, after considering “all the options”, they had come to the conclusion that continuing with the festival was “simply not viable”.
“Our apologies to all the fans of the amazing artists on our festival line up,” their statement reads. “We had wished for a different outcome.”
Festival director Paxton Talbot also offered his two cents, adding: “Despite this world class line-up of artists, and a strong promotional campaign and apparent public support, the event simply hasn’t had sufficient ticket sales to date to make the festival viable, we have today made the hugely difficult decision to cancel the event. It would not be fair on the bands, the suppliers or the audience if we were to continue pursuing the project.”
Among the juggernaut bill for Echo Fest were acts like Disclosure, The Flaming Lips, Alison Wonderland, Kurt Vile & The Violators, The Preatures and New Zealand’s own The Chills.
Punters who did buy tickets will have access to full refunds through their point of purchase, and more info on refunds is available via the Echo Fest website.
The event’s axing comes after a wave of similar festival cancellations here in Australia – also apparently due to sub-par ticket sales – including Soulfest, Sydney’s Out On The Weekend and Adelaide’s Gorgeous Festival.
Read the full statement from Echo Festival’s organisers, below.
We regret to inform our festival supporters that slow ticket sales have now led to the cancellation of Echo Festival.... Posted by Echo Festival NZ on Wednesday, November 25, 2015
