The Australian state of Victoria is offering grants of up to AU$ 50,000 to local festival organisers.

Operators of festivals with more than 1,000 attendees will be eligible to apply for a grant from 25 February as part of a new round of the Labor Government’s Live Music Festivals Fund delivered by Music Victoria.

The first round of the Fund in 2024 awarded grants to 22 festivals, with almost two-thirds from regional Victoria.

“Victoria’s music festivals are the lifeblood of communities across our state,” says minister for creative industries Colin Brooks.

“They provide jobs for event workers, they’re a rite of passage for young music lovers, and they provide real opportunity for artists to build their careers. Music festivals across the country have faced a challenging time, and we are proud to back our much-loved local festivals and the communities that host them.”

The news arrives after the cancellation of at least three Victoria festivals: Hello Sunshine, Chapel Street and Souled Out.

The cancellation of the R&B-focused touring festival Souled Out was announced today, just weeks before it was due to kick off.

Organisers noted that the festival “did not reach the level of support needed to remain financially viable”.

Souled Out was due to visit Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with a range of American headliners including Jhené Aiko, Don Toliver, Vince Staples and 6lack.

“Music festivals across the country have faced a challenging time”

Family-friendly event Hello Sunshine was set to return to Melbourne for its third year and debut on the Gold Coast this March.

Organisers cited low ticket sales and rising production costs as reasons for the cancellation.

Stone Temple Pilots, Smash Mouth, Wolfmother, Kasey Chambers, Rogue Traders, and Drapht were on tap to headline the event.

The long-awaited revival of Melbourne’s Chapel Street Festival was axed just weeks before it was due to take place, though a reason wasn’t given.

“This decision reflects our determination to create a festival that not only meets but exceeds expectations for our vibrant community,” said organisers in a statement.

Last held in 2000, the Chapel Street Festival was initially planned to return in 2023 but was ultimately not held as planned. Its latest revival was announced in November, with organisers expecting roughly 100,000 visitors to the precinct.

The Australian festival business has experienced a turbulent couple of years with rafts of cancellations across the board.

Hopes that the crisis-hit sector could reverse course were squashed at the beginning of this year when two major festivals, Splendour in the Grass and Groovin The Moo, announced they would forego another festival season.

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The French government has pledged a further €50 million to support the country’s music industry, as well as establishing a ‘festival fund’ to assist events forced to cancel by the coronavirus outbreak.

In a televised address, which followed a meeting with industry representatives on Wednesday 6 March, French minister of culture Franck Riester announced that the National Music Centre (CNM) would have its budget increased by €50m – “a contribution to the aid it has already provided” to the sector, as well as to enable it to “build support plans” for the industry in future, he said.

Riester (pictured) also announced the creation of a dedicated fund for festivals, to be established in concert with local authorities and the régions, according to MGB Mag. Major live events are off limits in France until at least September, although authorities have indicated that some “small festivals” may be allowed to take place.

The French economy has lost up €1.8bn as a result of the cancellation or postponement of summer festivals

Speaking before Riester, president Emmanuel Macron said he would help to protect independent businesses such as small festivals, announcing that, in partnership with the Public Investment Bank (BPI), the state would step in to help, “so that they are not weakened and at risk of being bought by major companies”.

Macron added that his government would continue to support the “festival fabric” at the heart of French society.

The latest intervention by French authorities comes as a study reveals the economy has lost up €1.8bn as a result of the cancellation or postponement of nearly all summer festivals.

Much of France began to ease its eight-week lockdown today (11 May), with shops reopening outside Paris and people no longer required to carry permits in order to leave their homes.

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