You & Me Festival cancels before launch
The debut edition of Western Australia’s You & Me Festival has been cancelled, dealing another blow to a suffering festival scene in the country.
The multi-day event, set for 29-31 December in Bunbury (175 km south of Perth), was created by Together Group and Palace J Entertainment “with the aim of innovating the festival game to bring back camping festivals to WA for good,” organisers said on their website.
But more than a month out from the inaugural event — set to be headlined by rapper Soulja Boy and Australian singer-songwriter Ruel — organisers have announced it can no longer proceed.
“I explored every possible avenue for the festival to go ahead, however unfortunately it was just not feasible,” the team wrote on Instagram.
“I just ask one thing. Please keep supporting Australian festivals and live music or they will be gone before you know it.”
Festival founder Bailey Chalmers explained the decision to ABC News, citing poor ticket sales, high insurance costs and a last-minute withdrawal of an unnamed international headliner who “was unable to get into the country,” Chalmers said.
“Unless you can find a replacement of similar calibre, it becomes an issue of try[ing] to go ahead with a very different show than was originally advertised,” he said. Chalmers also expressed hope in reestablishing the event when the sector is in a stronger position.
“The arts, and events like Bluesfest, are worth protecting”
The Australian festival scene has had a year of intense setbacks, as several major festivals — like Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, and Return to Rio — called it quits for the 2024/25 season. As costs for festivals skyrocket — some higher than 500% — the Australian sector finds itself in crisis.
Despite festivals in the country generating revenue of $355m (€218m) last year, the sector is still battling to stay afloat in a challenging and changing market.
“While attendance and revenue peaked in 2023, the pausing or cancellation of festivals this year shows some parts of our industry are still dealing with very challenging business conditions due to higher operating costs, changing audience preferences and ongoing cost of living pressures,” said Evelyn Richardson, CEO of Live Performance Australia, earlier this year.
In April, Creative Australia found that only half of Australian festivals are profitable, with rising costs, lack of funding, insurance, and extreme weather being the most significant barriers to running festivals in the country.
But the determination to rebuild for the future is palpable, with Bluesfest festival director Peter Noble saying the long-running event, which is set to draw its curtains after the April edition, “doesn’t have to be the last”.
“I firmly believe Bluesfest is something worth preserving – not just for today’s music lovers, but for future generations, including those who haven’t even been born yet. The arts, and events like Bluesfest, are worth protecting. It’s something we believe is worth fighting for,” he said in a letter.
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Disneyland Paris to launch first-ever music festival
Disneyland Paris will debut a new musical offering next spring, the park’s first-ever Disney Music Festival.
Beginning in April, the running music event will showcase live performances of both Disney classics and contemporary hits from the global brand’s film catalogue. The event is set to run until 7 September 2025.
“All across the park, venues will come alive with melodies, concerts, and shows that reflect the rich, diverse musical worlds of Disney and Pixar,” the company announced.
Performances will range from greatest hits concerts to character-driven productions, like Minnie Mouse’s marching band parade, designed to immerse audiences around the park.
“With live performances by singers interpreting both beloved classics and contemporary hits from Disney Animation and Pixar animated films, this musical event will have every generation singing and dancing along.”
In addition to the festival, Disneyland Paris also unveiled a nighttime spectacular, dubbed Disney Tales of Magic. The 20-minute nighttime show will blend pyrotechnics, lasers, an immersive audio system, and drones to “redefine the magic of Disney and Pixar storytelling through a one-of-a-kind technological display”.
“At Disneyland Paris, we’ve always strived to push the boundaries of what’s possible in nighttime entertainment, and Disney Tales of Magic takes that vision even further,” said Natacha Rafalski, Disneyland Paris president.
Disney has spent the past year celebrating the first 100 years of the corporation with Disney 100: The Exhibition
“Our teams have crafted something truly magical, an experience that will captivate and inspire guests for years to come. Building on our legacy of innovation, creativity, and storytelling, we’re excited for this show to become a lasting part of the story of Disneyland Park,” Rafalski said.
Beyond the parks, Disney has spent the past year celebrating the first 100 years of the corporation with Disney 100: The Exhibition. Featured in IQ’s Touring Entertainment Report 2024, the touring spectacle features over 250 artefacts capturing a century of films, shows, attractions, and characters.
The exhibition opened in Philadelphia in February 2023 and has since made stops in Munich, London, and Chicago. It is currently open in Kansas City and Seoul.
Family entertainment and its rise in touring is a key component of ILMC Touring Entertainment Live (TEL), which will return for its second edition on 26 February 2025 during ILMC 37. The one-day conference is dedicated to the global business of big-brand live entertainment, exhibitions, and touring family shows.
TEL brings together the world’s top show and exhibition producers, rights holders, venue operators, and promoters for a day revolving around this multibillion-dollar sector.
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Pitchfork Music Festival cancelled after 19 years
Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, US, will not take place in 2025 after 19 years of operation.
The American music magazine confirmed that the long-running event won’t be returning next year in an official statement, citing the rapid evolution of the current music festival landscape.
“As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025,″ the statement read.
“This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art and community – a space where memories were made, voices were amplified and the shared love of music brought us all together.
“The festival, while aligned with the taste of the Pitchfork editorial team, has always been a collaborative effort, taking on a life of its own as a vital pillar of the Chicago arts scene. We are deeply grateful to the City of Chicago for being our Festival’s home for nearly two decades, to the artists who graced our stages with unforgettable performances, and to the fans who brought unmatched energy year after year.
“Thank you to At Pluto and the rest of the hardworking Festival team whose dedication and creativity were the backbone of every event, and to the broader community whose spirit and support made the Festival a truly unique experience. And thank you to Mike Reed for founding the Festival and your inspiring vision.
“Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond”
The statement concluded: “Pitchfork will continue to produce events in 2025 and beyond. We look forward to continuing to create spaces where music, culture, and community intersect in uplifting ways – and we hope to see you there.”
The Pitchfork Music Festival has its origins in 2005’s Intonation Music Festival, which saw local promoters Skyline Chicago recruit Pitchfork Media to curate their inaugural event at Chicago’s Union Park. Though Intonation would return in 2006, Pitchfork Media split to create their own event under the Pitchfork Music Festival name.
Over the years, the festival has featured headliners including Animal Collective, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Slint, Björk, Wilco, A Tribe Called Quest, the Isley Brothers, and more. This year’s event took place in July and featured Jamie xx, Alanis Morissette, and Black Pumas as headliners.
Pitchfork has also held international events in Paris between 2011 and 2022; in London from 2021 to 2023; Berlin in 2020 and 2022; and a lone event in Mexico City this year.
The news of the festival’s demise arrives months after parent company Condé Nast announced staff layoffs as the website was absorbed by another Condé title, men’s magazine GQ.
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‘The people want it’: All Things Go on diversifying lineups
Independent, female-driven US festival All Things Go is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary this September, with its organisers highlighting how curating a diverse event has paid off.
Speaking with IQ, co-founders Will Suter and Stephen Vallimarescu and brand partnerships and advocacy manager Carlie Webbert discuss the evolution of the DC-based festival. Launching in 2014 as the one-day All Things Go Fall Classic, organisers began curating female-led programming to highlight festivals’ gender imbalance in 2018, with that year’s edition curated by singers Maggie Rogers and LPX.
Since then, the festival has boasted a majority of female and non-binary performers, with the 28-29 September event to be led by Laufey, Bleachers, Hozier, Reneé Rapp, Janelle Monáe, Conan Gray, and Chappell Roan. It marks the third consecutive sellout for the indie event, with 40,000 fans to attend across two days. Last year, the late-summer event expanded from one day, with the 2023 edition headlined by Lana Del Rey, Maggie Rogers, boygenius, and Carly Rae Jepsen.
Gender-balanced festival lineups are rare, with 90% of headline performers being male across 50 European festivals, according to a study by IQ and ROSTR. Across complete lineups, only 35% of artists were female and 1% were non-binary. Attendees have lovingly received the event, dubbing it “Gay-Chella,” “All Things Gay,” and “Lesbopalooza”.
“Once you prioritise inclusion, your community will be stronger because you platform voices that usually don’t get the stage,” Webbert says.
Thirty-six artists will perform across multiple stages at ATG’s Maryland amphitheatre base, its biggest edition yet, including Maren Morris, Remi Wolf, Ethel Cain, and Julien Baker. Alongside the music programming, organisers will continue their one-night panel series, the Creator Summit, bringing together leaders in music, media, activism, and technology.
Here, the All Things Go organisers answer 10 questions in celebration of its 10th anniversary.
“Music is a powerful vessel for creating change”
This year marks your 10th anniversary. How are you planning to celebrate the accomplishment this year, and what are you proud to have accomplished over the past 10 years?
Will Suter: We’re celebrating our 10-year anniversary with our biggest lineup to date! We’ll have 36 artists performing over the two days at Merriweather Post Pavilion, in addition to a few surprises along the way. We’re proud to have created a robust community of music fans who circle ATG on their calendar every year and keep coming back — in addition to the new festival fans who might be experiencing the event for the first time.
This year’s edition takes place roughly one month before the presidential election in the capital. What plans do you have to intertwine social activism within the two-day schedule?
Carlie Webbert: Music is a powerful vessel for creating change. For the past few years, we’ve worked with advocacy organisations to ensure we do our part in platforming important causes. Last year we worked with Spotify EQUAL and The Ally Coalition to create a physical activism village on site with six non-profit organisations that were set up for fans to interact with. This year we’ll be working with Propeller, Calling All Crows, Headcount, Peta, Reverb, and more to drive awareness for those organisations along with raising funds. Ultimately, the advocacy arm of the festival will continue to grow and given how engaged the fans at ATG are, we are excited to see the impact that comes from it.
The cost of two-day general admission passes started at just under $200. With the cost of living and live music rising, how could you keep ticket prices down and why is it important to your team to keep the event affordable for different budgets?
Stephen Vallimarescu: Despite costs increasing substantially over the past few years, we strive to keep ticket prices as accessible as possible — and often lower than industry averages. As an independent music festival with a thriving community, we are constantly polling fans to understand what we can do to ensure a better fan experience, which includes affordable pricing and payment plans that start around $35.
All Things Go has openly called attention to putting women and non-binary individuals on the stage, but how is the organisation supporting and engaging those groups working in roles behind the scenes?
CW: Two of our longstanding partnerships are with Women in Music and Amplify Her Voice. These collaborations help us prioritise inclusion month after month. Women in Music supports us in organising the Creator Summit, a panel series held the night before our festival. This event highlights leading women in music, media, and technology. Through our partnership with Amplify Her Voice, we launched a program last year that provided hands-on backstage experiences to over 20 young women and at last year’s festival — an incredibly impactful opportunity for seeing first-hand what happens behind the scenes.
What’s the most memorable bit of feedback you’ve received in the 10 years of programming?
WS: In 10 years of programming, every year has brought new hurdles and new opportunities. We realised a few years into the festival that we need to really listen to and trust our fans. We take our post-festival fan survey very seriously and have launched a few iterations of an ATG fan club to really connect with those fans year-round. It’s ongoing feedback, year after year, on how we can improve our lineups in addition to the overall experience at the festival from the people who are buying the tickets.
“At the very least, ensure you book 50% female or non-binary acts — there is so much talent out there across genres”
Your planning process begins before the previous year’s edition takes place. Can you speak about keeping up with trends in your lineup curation process and how you are set to deliver your biggest offering yet?
WS: The planning process never really ends for the festival. We’re constantly discovering and listening to new music from emerging artists in addition to setting calendar milestones for established artists’ album releases, shows/tours and other festival appearances. The more we’re able to consume and monitor, the better — and it feels like there is more quality across music being released and live shows performed than ever before.
How would you describe the atmosphere of the festival to those who’ve never attended?
SV: The atmosphere at All Things Go is a reflection of our vibrant community, made up of both dedicated fans and boundary-pushing artists. It’s a unique and indescribable energy that covers the festival grounds. Most artists have commented on stage about the distinctiveness of All Things Go compared to other festivals. Our fans are united by a deep love for live music and a common ethos. We stand for something meaningful, and we strive to curate a festival experience that minimises scheduling conflicts and emphasises special moments that fans will remember forever.
In 2023, you hosted the first Creator Summit and brought together voices from the entertainment, music, political, and activism realms. Are there plans to continue this event, and can you highlight any major takeaways from last year?
CW: Yes! The Creator Summit is a significant part of our festival weekend, providing festival attendees with the ability to hear impactful voices from music, media and technology. The event provides a meaningful platform for engaging dialogue for our fans.
Your lineup has been female-driven since Maggie Rogers curated an all-female festival in 2018. Many festivals are still struggling to offer a diverse and balanced bill — what do you have to say to them?
CW: I would say, “Come on! The people want it!” We’ve sold out three years in a row, very fast, with a mostly female lineup. At the very least, ensure you book 50% female or non-binary acts — there is so much talent out there across genres. Once you prioritise inclusion your community will be stronger because you platform voices that usually don’t get the stage.
Describe how you’d like to see All Things Go evolve in the next 10 years.
SV: We aim to further support the next generation of artists and fans by championing their creativity not only through our annual festival but also through our expanding digital platforms. We’re allocating more and more resources to avenues such as newsletters, podcasts, and technology-driven initiatives. Our goal is to enable our community to connect and engage with each other seamlessly, regardless of where they live and beyond the festival weekend.
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Fans can ‘pay with their blood’ for Wacken show
German heavy metal festival Wacken Open Air is offering a novel form of payment for its pre-festival showcase, encouraging fans to “pay with your blood”.
From next Monday (11 March), individuals who donate blood to Essen University Hospital will receive free admission to the festival’s warm-up show. The gig, set for one day after World Blood Donor Day, will take place at the Turock nightclub in Essen, Germany.
“The goal of the World Blood Donor Day campaign on June 14th is to fill the empty blood banks, recruit new donors and ultimately save lives,” organisers said in a press release.
‘Fill empty blood banks, recruit new donors, and ultimately save lives’
This preliminary gig will showcase three acts — Celeste, Downfall of Gaia and Friisk — in an evening ‘dedicated to the extreme varieties of metal’.
The four-day festival has encouraged blood donation for over a decade, offering a free t-shirt in exchange for six recorded donations on the official W:O:A blood donor passport.
The 33rd edition of the metal festival, set for 31 July through 4 August, will be led by Scorpions, Korn and Amon Amarth.
Additional performers include Blind Guardian, In Extremo and Axel Rudi Pell. This year’s instalment sold out in record time, with fans snagging all 85,000 tickets in four-and-a-half hours.
Fans looking to pay for the warm-up show the conventional way can find tickets at Eventim and Metaltix.
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UK festival Boardmasters granted capacity increase
UK festival Boardmasters is set to increase its capacity to 58,000 this year after its licensing application was partially accepted.
The Cornwall Council approved the Newquay-based festival’s capacity rise by 5,000 to 2026 following an extensive hearing with the licensing committee.
“Thank you to Cornwall Council, the residents who took time to provide their valuable feedback and to all of the relevant parties who have supported us on this journey,” says festival founder Andrew Topham.
But the capacity for the music and surf festival will remain at 58,000 — including staff, performers and non-ticket holders — through 2026 after council members voted to curtail further capacity increases.
The Superstruct-backed event’s initial planning application proposed increases up to 66,000 by 2026, which sparked concerns over traffic congestion and public safety.
“I certainly appreciate the economic impact that this event does bring to the county, but I have to look at safety”
“Is there any point in increasing the numbers until we know that these new plans will work?” asked local councillor Joanna Kenny.
The annual event has perennially expanded, hosting 14,000 attendees in 2014, with Topham telling the committee the team has continuously “invested into the safety and infrastructure of the festival”.
“We want to add more and more layers of security, traffic management and anything that enhances the festival operation but to do that ultimately means more capacity,” Topham says.
In 2022, the five-day event, headlined by George Ezra, Disclosure, and Kings Of Leon, brought in £40 million (€46m) into the local economy.
“I support any business that wants to expand as long as it’s done at the right time and in a safe way. I certainly appreciate the economic impact that this event does bring to the county, but from my perspective, I cannot focus on that — I have to look at safety,” says Ann Marie Jameson, council health and safety officer.
The 2024 edition is set for 7-11 August 2024, with Stormzy, Sam Fender, and Chase & Status topping the bill. Courteeners, Overmono, Royel Otis, Kate Nash, Holly Humberstone, Wunderhorse, Hedex, and Ewan McVicar add to this year’s lineup.
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South Africa to host ‘biggest country fest outside US’
A new two-day country music festival is coming to South Africa this autumn, in what organisers are calling one of the genre’s largest events outside of the US.
The inaugural Cape Town Country Music Festival is set for 26-27 October at the 60,000-capacity DHL Stadium. Since its first show in 2011, the stadium has hosted international acts including U2, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, and Justin Bieber.
American artists Kip Moore and the Zac Brown Band will lead the programme, with an array of local and international artists set to perform across the two days. US country stars Darius Rucker, the Brothers Osborne, and others will join the lineup, in addition to 10 South African artists.
The festival builds on recent success for country music in the African country, with Moore selling 44,000 tickets across three shows last spring in Cape Town and Pretoria.
“The door is now wide open for the entire country music genre”
“When we went to SA for the first time last year, the surprising part was it felt like a grassroots fan base that had been with us all along. There was a spark in that audience that I’ve been itching to light again,” Moore says.
Local DJ and Heroes Events producer Wimpie van der Sandt, who helped bring Moore to Africa in 2023, is producing the festival. The founder of Afrikaans-broadcasting BOK Radio made history last year as the first South African to receive a Country Music Association award nomination in the international country broadcaster category.
“The success we had last year with Kip Moore in South Africa proved there’s a vibrant and healthy country music scene over here. People in the music industry were sceptical when we explored the market, but we proved the concept and that gave us confidence to build the biggest country festival in the world outside the US,” van der Sandt says.
One of Moore’s managers, Gaines Sturdivant of Red Light Management, will serve as an executive consultant.
“Wimpie and I dreamt up this idea together on a napkin after watching Kip’s jaw-dropping success in South Africa last year. I am incredibly proud of the new ground Kip has plowed for country music and music in general.”
“CTC ’24 is the next iteration, and the door is now wide open for the entire country music genre,” Sturdivant says.
Tickets for the October event go on sale tomorrow, 16 February.
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Head in the Clouds festival exported to NY
Head in the Clouds festival will debut in New York this spring, following successful editions in Los Angeles, Jakarta and Manila.
NIKI, Rich Brian, ITZY, beabadoobee, DPR Live & DPR Ian, MILLI and XG will perform at the two-day event, led by Asian-American music powerhouse 88rising.
The East Coast festival will be produced alongside frequent 88rising collaborator and Southern California promoter Goldenvoice (Coachella, Stagecoach), as well as new partner The Bowery Presents.
The East Coast festival will be produced alongside Goldenvoice and The Bowery Presents
Head in the Clouds NY will take over Forest Hills Stadium in Queens between 20–21 May during, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
This marks the first time the festival has branched out to a new market in North America following a successful run in Los Angeles (2018-19, 2021-22) and 2022 festivals in Jakarta and Manila.
The inaugural NY event also represents a homecoming for 88rising, which was founded in New York City back in 2015.
Masiwei, Atarashii Gakko!, P-Lo, Raveena, Warren Hue and more will also perform at the event.
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SteppinOut plans India’s biggest music festival
Experience curator SteppinOut has planned what it’s touting as the biggest festival in India in 2022.
Grammy Award-nominated DJ Steve Aoki heads up a bill of 50+ artists booked to perform across five stages at the 50,000-capacity event in Bangalore.
SteppinOut Music Festival will also feature performances from domestic and international artists such as Harrdy Sandhu, Offset, Solomun, TroyBoi, Divine, Anuv Jain Jasleen Royal and Lucky Ali.
Blot!, Sickflip, Kayan Live, Divine and Aswekeepsearching are also billed to perform at the festival.
The event is slated to take place on 10 and 11 December at Embassy International Riding School, and will be hosted by Indian DJ Nikhil Chinapa and Indian actor Rannvijay Singha.
“This music festival is going to be our crowning jewel”
“We are thrilled to be able to do this for our loyal customers who flock to all SteppinOut events, we love to give our patrons the opportunity to come together with their friends and loved ones to enjoy a nice day out,” says founder Safdhar Adoor.
“We are constantly evolving with extremely successful events ranging from sneaker fests to our signature flea markets. This music festival is going to be our crowning jewel. We cannot wait for people to come together and enjoy the music they love so much and get a chance to see their favourite artists live. This will definitely be the first of many!”
SteppinOut hosts around 20 events a month, ranging from night markets to concerts to comedy nights.
In August 2020, the company was acquired by India’s largest dining-out platform, DineOut. It was then acquired by Swiggy, the delivery aggregator giant, in July 2022.
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Thousands attend major music festival in Wuhan
Wuhan, the Chinese city in which the global pandemic began, hosted a major music festival last Saturday (15 August) that was attended by thousands of people.
HOHA Water Electrical Musical Festival took place at Maya Water Park and was packed out with festival-goers watching performances from artists including Akini Jing, GAI, and Tizzy T from swimming pools.
According to a local media report, the water park was operating at 50 per cent but images show attendees shoulder-to-shoulder without face masks or social distancing.
The festival comes after Wuhan’s 76-day lockdown was lifted in April
The festival comes after Wuhan’s 76-day lockdown was lifted in April, leading to a slow reopening of businesses and attractions in June and July.
Authorities say there have been no domestically transmitted cases in Wuhan or Hubei province since mid-May.
In an effort to boost the economy, the Hubei government has been offering discounted entry to 400 tourist sites throughout the province. Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park is one venue that has encouraged visitors, as it offers half-price entry for female tourists.
Wuhan’s water park music festival is the latest pioneering format since indoor shows around the world were restricted due to coronavirus – from deck chair concerts in Germany to tuk-tuk drive-ins in Thailand to bike-in concerts in Italy and a float-in music festival in Latvia.
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