The company behind The Grass is Greener festival has been put into administration, with the organisation owing debts up to $2.5 million dollars, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports. Hand Picked Events and Marketing, the business behind the planned four-city event, has outstanding debts to artists, suppliers, and ticket-holders, and may also be holding a heavy tax burden.
The Grass Is Greener 2022 was announced in July, with events in Cairns, Gold Coast, Geelong and Canberra scheduled for the final two weekends of October. However, the financial strain on the organisation led to the cancellation of the Geelong and Canberra shows and saw several marquee artists pull out of the festival, including ONEFOUR.
Hand Picked failed to “honour their obligations”
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At the time, organisers blamed the cancellations on “the culmination of multiple elements that have affected not only us but our industry partners and siblings across the entire event industry in the COVID/post-lockdown period.” ONEFOUR announced they’d be pulling out from the festival around the same time, referencing a failure on the part of Hand Picked to “honour their obligations”.
International drawcards Ty Dolla $ign, ZHU, and Maya Jane Coles all pulled out in turn, and refunds were offered to hopeful attendees who had dished out up to $270 for tickets. The refund process has been held up by a related business, UK-based Festicket, going through their own financial struggles.
Cancellation of the events and Hand Picked’s inability to pay out costs for small businesses and ticket-holders has led to frustration for all involved. Suppliers have been quoted as saying the downfall of the festival has “[left] a bad taste” in their mouths, while ticket-holders were told that to get refunds, it was their responsibility to contact their bank and dispute the transaction.
The Grass is Greener was first held in 2016, though the recently cancelled events had modernised to the point of incorporating NFT’s into both their ticketing system and “on-site experience” access. The outcome of financial proceedings is currently unclear as the company moves through the administration process. Representatives for The Grass Is Greener have so far declined Music Feeds’ requests for comment.
Further Reading
The Grass Is Greener Festival Cancels Canberra And Geelong Events
ONEFOUR Say They’re No Longer Playing The Grass Is Greener This Month
Ty Dolla $ign, YG, And PNAU Lead 2022 The Grass Is Greener Lineup
