Aminé performs during Falls Festival 2022 in Fremantle | Photo by Matt Jelonek/WireImage

Falls Festival Organisers Cancel 2023 Event to “Rest, Recover and Recalibrate”

May 17, 2023

Falls Festival organisers Secret Sounds have announced that the festival will not take place over the 2023/2024 New Year’s Eve period. Organisers made the announcement this morning (Wednesday, 17th May) via social media, saying that after “an impressive 28 years ringing in the New Year with some of the world’s biggest acts,” the team are “taking this New Year’s season off to rest, recover and recalibrate.”

The statement continues: “We send huge love and appreciation to all our patrons for their ongoing support and for the great vibes they brought to the 2022/23 events. You really are the heart and soul of Falls Festival, and we look forward to updating you with our plans when the time is right.”

“We Look Forward to Updating You with Our Plans When the Time Is Right”

In a separate statement, Secret Sounds co-CEO and Falls producer Jessica Ducrou elaborated on the decision. “The past few years has seen unprecedented change in the live music space, both front of house and behind the scenes,” she said.

“While Falls’ reboot in 2022/23 was full of amazing moments and we were thrilled to reconnect with our Falls Fam, our team needs a break, so this year we’ll take time off to enjoy the holiday period and allow some space to re-imagine how Falls will look in the future.”

Falls Festival did not take place in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival returned over the 2022/2023 New Year’s Eve period in Byron Bay, Fremantle and Melbourne, with a lineup that included the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Peggy Gou, Chvrches, Jamie xx, Aminé, Ocean Alley, Spacey Jane, DMA’S, Rico Nasty and Amyl and the Sniffers.

The festival’s 2022/2023 edition went ahead without its usual Tasmanian leg, and was beset by a planned location change in Victorian. The festival’s Victorian location was originally set to move from its longtime home of Lorne to Murroon, near Birregurra.

However, local objectors opposed the Colac Shire Otway Council’s issuing of a planning permit approval for Falls, filing an appeal in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. As a result, the festival’s Victorian edition was moved to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne’s CBD. Organisers have since abandoned plans to move the festival’s Victorian leg to Murroon.