One of Australia’s biggest touring festivals is hitting the pause button. Listen Out has announced it won’t be returning in 2025, at least, not in its usual format.
Instead, organisers have revealed plans for a new live event series called Listen Out Presents — promising one-off, curated parties in “killer locations” with lineups featuring some of the “best artists in the world”.
“We’re hitting pause on Listen Out as you know it”
In a statement shared via Instagram, the Listen Out crew said: “The last few years have been tough… so we’re hitting pause on Listen Out as you know it. But we’re not going anywhere.”
The full lineup and details for the new Listen Out Presents series will apparently be revealed later on today.
Launched in 2013, Listen Out has become a big staple of the Aussie festival calendar — known for its city-based format and cutting-edge lineups that blend hip-hop, electronica and alt-pop, with past headliners including Disclosure, Skepta, Lil Uzi Vert, Flume, Benee and more.
Industry supergroup the Australian Festival Association (AFA) has already responded to the fest’s announcement with some words of support, big-upping Listen Out’s “thoughtful and creative approach” to the increasingly challenging festival climate RN.
“With complex regulations, rising costs, tight timelines and increasing operational risks, the environment festivals operate in has fundamentally shifted,” the AFA said in its statement. “New formats like Listen Out Presents are part of an industry-wide evolution.”
The AFA also reiterated the need for stronger government support, funding, and regulatory reform to help our fave festies navigate the shitty economy, rising costs and changing audience behaviours.
So while Listen Out as we know it will be going MIA in 2025, the party isn’t totally over — just changing shape a little bit.
Further Reading
Listen Out 2024: 21 Savage, Skepta, Tyla + More
