Mushroom Group cancels long-running music festival

Mushroom Group has announced that its youth festival Good Life will go on hiatus after 15 years due to “significant challenges” in the festival landscape.

Launched in 2010, the touring festival for 13 to 17-year-olds has hosted artists including Avicii, The Kid Laroi, Lil Uzi Vert, Marshmello, Skrillex, A$AP Rocky, Lil Tecca, Macklemore, Rudimental, Deadmau5 and Martin Garrix.

Organisers said the decision comes after “careful consideration of the escalating operational costs and the current regulatory landscape affecting music festivals”.

“The decision to pause Good Life this year was not made lightly,” says Good Life Presents event director Paul Barbaro. “The rising operational costs associated with event production and stringent festival regulations, particularly in states like New South Wales, have posed significant challenges.

“These factors have made it unfeasible to deliver the world-class line-up and experience our attendees have come to expect,” he continues. “Good Life is more than just a music festival—it’s a rite of passage for Australian teens. Our mission is to create an affordable, drug and alcohol-free event where young people can safely immerse themselves in live music and entertainment, creating a much-needed safe space for teens to connect offline. We’re optimistic about the future and are actively seeking government support, advocating for the reform of overbearing festival regulations.”

“Good Life is more than just a music festival—it’s a rite of passage for Australian teens”

Barbaro reassured audiences that “this isn’t goodbye” and added that the festival would return in 2026.

News of Good Life’s hiatus is the latest blow to Australia’s beleaguered 2025 festival season after Splendour in the Grass and Groovin The Moo were each cancelled for a second consecutive year.

At least three more Australian festivals including Hello Sunshine, Chapel Street and Souled Out, have been cancelled since the beginning of the year.

Last year, arts investment and advisory body Creative Australia released a report into the music festival sector that found more than one-third of Australian music festivals were losing money as the sector faced increased operational costs.

The report found that only 56% of music festivals in 2022–23 were profitable and that young audiences between 18 and 24 years old were no longer the sector’s primary market.

In March, a parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s live music sector recommended a variety of ways to help the industry. These included tax offsets, a rebate or voucher scheme for 18-24-year-olds in line with programs in Germany, France and Spain, and the reduction or abolition of policing costs for festivals.

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