Australian Music Festival — Splendour in the Grass 2023 | Credit: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Splendour In The Grass 2024 Has Been Cancelled

March 28, 2024

Organisers of Splendour In The Grass have announced that the 2024 edition will not be going ahead, just two weeks after announcing their line-up. A statement posted to the festival‘s social media pages cited only “unexpected events” as the reason behind the cancellation, adding that the team “will be working hard to be back in future years.”

In a further statement, Jessica Ducrou and Paul Pittico – the co-CEOs of Secret Sounds, the agency behind the festival – said that they were “heartbroken” over the decision. “This festival has always been a huge community effort, and we’d like to thank everyone for their support and their overall faith,” they wrote. “We hope to be back in the future.”

This year’s festival was set to be headlined by an exclusive performance by Kylie Minogue, which would have only been her debut at the festival, but her first full-scale performance in her native Australia since 2019. Other acts on the bill included Future, Arcade Fire, Turnstile, G Flip, The Last Dinner Party and Fontaines D.C.

Sarah Hanson-Young: “We need urgent funding to support festivals”

In response to the news, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young spoke in the Australian Senate yesterday (March 27) to urge the government to show the arts sector the support it needs through what has been a tumultuous festival season. “Today’s shock cancellation… is yet another reminder that we need urgent funding to support festivals and the arts through the cost of living crisis,” she said.

“Thousands of people, because of today’s decision… will be out of work. Thousands of people will be scratching around, thinking how they’re going to pay bills, as artists who are involved in this festival or hospitality workers who keep the festival going.”

Senator Hanson-Young’s speech can be viewed in full below.