Falls Festival, one of Australia’s top touring fests, will skip its 2023/24 edition.
Secret Sounds, the Live Nation-affiliated producers of Falls Festival, announced Wednesday (May 17) that the annual event would not go ahead this December and next January in either of its three locations – Melbourne, Byron Bay and Fremantle.
“After an impressive 28 years ringing in the New Year with some of the world’s biggest acts, the Falls team are today switching on their OOOs and taking this New Years’ season off to rest, recover and recalibrate,” read a statement posted to social media.
It’s the third time in the past four years the event has been nixed, after the 2020 and 2021 events were scrapped due to the pandemic.
Falls is one of the hottest tickets on the calendar, and, in a typical year, is held during the summer holiday with legs in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.
A long-running show at Marion Bay in Tasmania was officially discontinued during the health crisis, and organizers last year walked away from ambitions to host a Falls Birregurra in Murroon, country Victoria, citing a time-consuming and expensive application process. The pre-NYE event went ahead at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, with Arctic Monkeys and Lil Nas X among the headliners.
“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,” the Falls statement continues. “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.”
Spearheaded by Jess Ducrou and Paul Piticco, Falls Music & Arts Festival originated in 1993 as a one-day concert in Lorne, Tasmania under the banner Rock Above The Falls. In the years since, the likes of Iggy Pop, Jack Johnson, Billy Bragg, the Black Keys, Blondie and many more have graced its stages.
