Another major Australian festival called off for 2025

Groovin The Moo, an annual Australian festival that has booked acts including Billie Eilish, alt-J and Wolf Alice during its 19-year history, has been shelved for a second consecutive year.

“Groovin the Moo won’t be happening in 2025, while we work on finding the most sustainable model for Australia’s most loved regional touring festival,” the organisers said in a statement, posted today.

“We will really miss seeing the smiling faces of all our beloved Moo Crew … In the meantime, which artist would you most like to see on a GTM lineup?”

In February 2024, Groovin the Moo cancelled all six of its dates two months before the festival was due to kick off, saying ticket sales had “not been sufficient to deliver a regional festival of this kind”.

Australian Festival Association managing director, Olly Arkins, commented on the fresh cancellation: “Regional festivals like Groovin the Moo play a vital role in connecting audiences with live music outside of major cities, providing opportunities for artists, local businesses, and festival workers. But like many events across the country, the rising costs of production and ongoing challenges in the industry have made it increasingly difficult to operate.”

“But like many events across the country, the rising costs of production and ongoing challenges in the industry have made it increasingly difficult to operate”

“This cancellation highlights the urgent need for the federal government to extend Revive Live [a live music grants program which issued $7.7 million as part of the 2024-5 budget] funding to ensure festivals of all sizes can continue to thrive,” he added.

The news comes weeks after Splendour in the Grass, the long-running New South Wales festival staged by Live Nation-backed Secret Sounds, was cancelled for a second consecutive year.

The two cancellations hint at another turbulent year for Australia’s festival sector, which suffered a number of casualties in 2024. Events including Harvest Rock, Spilt Milk, You & Me, Promise Village, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays were axed due to either financial difficulties amid the cost-of-living crisis or slow ticket sales.

In other news for the Australian business, TEG CEO Geoff Jones has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List for his “significant contributions” to the live entertainment industry in Australia, and on the global stage.

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