Peter Noble delivers U-turn on Bluesfest future

Bluesfest organiser Peter Noble has performed a U-turn on the fate of the Australian institution, revealing its immediate future is safe amid its best sales yet.

In August, the Byron Bay festival director announced that the event’s 2025 edition would be its “final curtain call”, only to leave the door open for its return just a few weeks later.

Now, Noble tells IQ that his clarion call was largely a ploy to attract the attention of the state government, which he says declined to invest in Bluesfest during a difficult time for the economy.

“August was a time of great disappointment,” explains Noble. “We had said to the government ‘Look, we need investment at this time, the cost of living crisis is really affecting events and there are cancellations everywhere’.

“They sent me a Dear John letter saying we’ve decided not to invest in you. During the last 12 years, Bluesfest brought $1.1 billion to our state through inbound tourism. That is a tsunami of gold but it seemingly doesn’t count. The [state government] just wanted to put it in their coffers and not take responsibility for Australia’s great events.”

“Due to my clarion call, we’re potentially going to have our most successful festival yet”

He continues: “Meanwhile, South by Southwest (SXSW) was brought down here and had a lot of money invested in it. And whilst I don’t say that the government doesn’t have the right to invest in imported events, when I see them doing that and not investing in major Australian events, I think that’s wrong.

“So what do we have to do? Do we have to say it’s the last Bluesfest to get people to focus on us? Are we the long-suffering wife and South by Southwest is the mistress who gets the diamond rings? All we’ve asked our state to do is to show us that they care about the most highly awarded event in the history of Australian music. Regardless, I will always find a way for Bluesfest to go forward – that is my job.”

As of yesterday, Bluesfest is back in discussions with the government about potential support, which Noble believes is a direct result of the media hubbub around the festival’s future. But while the state government has been slow to act on his call to arms, there has been a groundswell of support from the general public.

“Due to my clarion call, we’re potentially going to have our most successful festival yet,” notes Noble. “We’re on the path to selling out, with 89,000 passes sold and I’m sure we’ll go past 90,000 after [yesterday’s] artist announcement. We’re probably the best-selling festival in Australia at the moment. We’ve been shown that people care about events and culture.”

“I think the next move should be that festivals announce at least some of their headline talent for the following year at their current festival”

In fact, Noble is already booking Bluesfest’s 2026 edition and says he currently has around 152 artists on offer.

“I think the next move should be that festivals announce at least some of their headline talent for the following year at their current festival,” he says. “There are 100,000 people on site. That’s your opportunity to sell your next event. Let’s get together as industry and do this. Agents, sell me the talent now for 2026 and I’ll buy it and announce it.”

While the gathering’s future is secure for now, a raft of other Australian festivals are battling for survival. This year has been littered with high-profile casualties such as Splendour in the Grass, Spilt Milk, Harvest Rock, Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays.

The sector has been beleaguered with a laundry list of challenges including bushfires, floods, the pandemic, rising insurance costs, the cost-of-living crisis, state regulations and enduring interest rates.

These woes were distilled in a Creative Australia report that revealed that only half of the country’s festivals are profitable. Australia’s House of Representatives has responded to the plight of the festival sector – and the music industry as a whole – with a new inquiry but Noble says the government needs to do more.

“I’m trying to get some degree of an understanding with the new government that festivals have a great cultural value”

“It’s a tragedy seeing Splendour in the Grass and others bite the dust because we need those events,” he says. “The real efforts need to be squarely put in the hands of government. At the federal level, there is $6.6 million for festivals nationally that can be awarded in grants. Put another zero behind that, and it still wouldn’t be enough. Two zeros behind it might actually make a difference and keep our industry working.

“I’m trying to get some degree of an understanding with the new government that festivals have a great cultural value, but underneath that is this great economic stimulus that occurs and the government needs to recognise that in times of difficulty.”

Bluesfest 2025 takes place from 17-20 April 2025 with a line-up including Crowded House, Crowded House, Vance Joy, Tones and I, Ocean Alley, Here Come The Mummies, The California Honeydrops, Taj Farrant, Cimafunk, Neal Francis, Pierce Brothers, WILSN, and 19-Twenty.

A previous version of this article erroneously stated that at the federal level, there is $6.6 billion for festivals nationally. The correct amount is $6.6 million.

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Peter Noble: ‘Bluesfest 2025 doesn’t have to be the last’

After announcing that Byron Bay Bluesfest would bow out next year, Peter Noble now says that the 2025 edition of the Australian festival “doesn’t have to be the last”.

In an open letter, the festival director issued a call to save the long-running institution ahead of the “final curtain call” in April 2025.

“I want to make it clear that it was never my intention to end Bluesfest,” says Noble in the letter. “I have always believed in its future, and I still do. But the current circumstances make it impossible to continue the festival in its current form.

“That said, 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.

“I firmly believe Bluesfest is something worth preserving for future generations”

“Although we’ve announced that 2025 will be our last festival, it doesn’t have to be. Under current economic conditions, we simply cannot continue and that’s why we have asked for NSW government support.”

Adding that Bluesfest isn’t seeking a “handout” but a “hand up” as the music industry grapples with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and other challenges, Noble continued, “Bluesfest has contributed over a billion dollars in inbound tourism to the state of NSW. To the government, I ask: is that not worth saving?”

Revealing the numbers from this year’s event, Noble stated that Bluesfest contributed $235 million in inbound tourism to NSW. “This is an amazing achievement, not only for the Byron Shire but for the entire state, demonstrating just how significant Bluesfest is to our local and state economies, yet in 2024 Bluesfest lost money, and we still delivered an amazing result for NSW.”

The statement concluded, “Thank you for your continued support as we work together to keep the spirit of Bluesfest alive.”

Noble’s statement arrives a week after Tamara Smith MP, the local member for Ballina, started an E-Petition to save Bluesfest. Smith called on the NSW Government to offer Bluesfest a rescue package in the petition.

“Bluesfest has contributed over a billion dollars in inbound tourism to NSW. To the government, I ask: is that not worth saving?”

If the petition receives 20,000 signatures, NSW Parliament must address the future of Bluesfest via a debate. As a press release notes, “This is our chance to rally together and ensure that one of Australia’s most iconic music festivals continues to thrive for years to come.”

The ending of Bluesfest is perhaps the most severe blow yet for Australia’s beleaguered festival sector, which has been left in disarray following a flurry of cancellations. Adelaide’s Harvest Rock became the latest Australian festival to pull the plug on its 2024 edition last week, following in the footsteps of other high-profile casualties such as Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays.

In response, Australia’s House of Representatives has launched an inquiry into the struggling scene.

Bluesfest will return between 17-20 April 2025 with a line-up including Crowded House, Crowded House, Vance Joy, Tones and I, Ocean Alley, Here Come The Mummies, The California Honeydrops, Taj Farrant, Cimafunk, Neal Francis, Pierce Brothers, WILSN, and 19-Twenty.

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Bluesfest bows out: ‘The industry needs help’

Byron Bay Bluesfest organiser Peter Noble says he wants the long-running Australian institution to “go out on a high” after revealing the festival’s next edition will be its last.

Noble has confirmed the event’s “final curtain call” will take place from 17-20 April 2025, with the first artist announcement to be made next week.

Launched in 1990, the festival has attracted a who’s who of music legends such as BB King, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Earth, Wind & Fire, Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige and Tom Jones.

“Bluesfest has been a labour of love, a celebration of music, community, and the resilient spirit of our fans. But after the 2025 festival, as much as it pains me to say this, it’s time to close this chapter,” Noble said via the festival’s social media channels.

Elaborating on the decision, Noble expressed his pride that Bluesfest had won more awards than any other festival in Australian history.

“We work at a certain level, and we want to continue to work at that level,” he told ABC. “I will be presenting a festival at that level in 2025. However, to continue doing it beyond then, a number of things would have had to have happened, and they just didn’t fall into place.”

The news comes as perhaps the most severe blow yet for Australia’s beleaguered festival sector, which has been left in disarray following a flurry of cancellations. Adelaide’s Harvest Rock became the latest Australian festival to pull the plug on its 2024 edition last week, following in the footsteps of other high-profile casualties such as Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays.

“The industry really needs help right now. I just can’t see the future… for the whole live music industry without real intercession from the powers that be”

In response, Australia’s House of Representatives has launched an inquiry into the struggling scene, and Noble stressed the need for government intervention.

“The industry really needs help right now, and I just can’t see the future – for not only me, but the whole live music industry – without real intercession from the powers that be,” he sad. “They need to get involved. They need to actually say there’s a vision for the future of our industry. And whilst I can’t see that, then I would rather go out on a high and buy a one-way ticket to Bali.”

Noble finished by sharing some of his standout moments from 35 years of Bluesfest, namechecking performances by Tom Jones, BB King, James Brown, Buddy Guy and Kendrick Lamar.

“We’ve always been cutting edge, and I want it to remain that way. I’m very proud of my contribution and my team’s contribution – they are so incredible – but we want to continue doing at a certain level right now,” he added. “We don’t think we can be on next year without got some real things happening. And so it’s better we go out on the high rather than perhaps find ourselves not at that level in a few years’ time.”

The promoter previously discussed his concerns for the domestic festival business during the inaugural Variety Live Business Breakfast in Sydney earlier this year, warning it was facing an “extinction event”.

“We’ve really got to be as one as an industry,” he said. “We need to speak to government. We need to say this is the time you support our industry because we are facing an extinction event and that event can be looked at during the times of Covid, government delivered a lot of funding. Come on government, give us a hand up, we don’t want a handout. We can get through this because our industry is worth it.”

Tickets are on sale now for Bluesfest 2025, with early bird four-day passes priced A$472.90 (€284.30).

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Byron Bay Bluesfest caught up in fresh controversy

Australia’s Byron Bay Bluesfest has become embroiled in a second controversy after four artists claimed they were axed from the festival’s 2023 line-up “in bad faith and in breach of contract”.

The Soul Rebels & Friends, with special guests Freedia, GZA and Talib Kweli, were booked for the 6-10 April festival at Byron Events Farm, but have since been taken off the bill.

Bluesfest director Peter Noble says the acts – who were also due to perform a series of theatre shows promoted by Bluesfest Touring – were removed “because they did not comply with the contractual terms”.

However, according to a statement from the artists’ representatives, seen by publications including Billboard and The Music Network, the US touring party had “fully executed signed contracts” with Noble and “had already booked travel to Australia”.

“Peter Noble removed the artists and the tour without further communication or reason from Bluesfest other than him stating his decision to not want to pay the artists,” it continues, adding: “These are all Black artists, and Big Freedia is an LGBTQ icon.”

“It appears the tour may have been replaced by other artists including Sticky Fingers”

The letter goes on to address the booking Australian band Sticky Fingers, whose inclusion was criticised in light of past allegations of racism and violence against frontman Dylan Frost, and led to Sampa the Great and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard both boycotting the festival.

“It appears the tour may have been replaced by other artists including Sticky Fingers,” reads the statement, which was released prior to Sticky Fingers being removed from the line-up last week. “We are uncertain about who else on Bluesfest may have also been cancelled.”

It adds: “Peter Noble’s cancellation of the tour of the aforementioned artists and on Bluesfest has resulted in significant financial loss to the artists. Peter’s egregious treatment and disregard of his contractual and moral obligations and disrespect can be completely supported by his actions and written communications.”

“The Soul Rebels contract was terminated because they did not comply with the contractual terms”

However, Noble denies the move had anything to do with Sticky Fingers.

“The termination of the Soul Rebels contract by Bluesfest has nothing to do with the announcement of Sticky Fingers playing at Bluesfest 2023,” he says in a statement. “The Soul Rebels contract was terminated because they did not comply with the contractual terms. By that, we mean, Soul Rebels, Big Freedia, GZA and Talib Kweli.”

Next month’s festival is scheduled to feature artists including Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Paolo Nutini, Lucinda Williams, Beck, Gang Of Youths and Tash Sultana.

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Bluesfest loses acts due to controversial booking

Sampa the Great and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have withdrawn from Byron Bay Bluesfest, following the controversial booking of Australian band Sticky Fingers.

Sticky Fingers’ booking was criticised in light of past allegations of racism and violence against frontman Dylan Frost, according to NME Australia.

These include 2016 allegations that Frost threatened Gamilaraay singer-songwriter Thelma Plum in a Sydney pub, and allegations from the same year that he made racist comments during a performance by the band Dispossessed (Frost denied these allegations).

In 2016, Frost apologised for his “unacceptable” behaviour and said he would be entering rehab and therapy. In 2018, the singer was accused of verbally harassing and threatening to fight a transgender woman in another Sydney pub; the band later issued a statement denying the woman’s account of events, the publication said.

King Gizzard announced their withdrawal on Monday (20 February), saying “As a band and as human beings, we stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence.

“Surprised and saddened to see Bluesfest commit to presenting content that is in complete opposition to these values,” they said.

A representative for Sampa the Great confirmed her withdrawal to Double J on Tuesday (22 February) afternoon.

“As a band and as human beings, we stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence”

Bluesfest director Peter Noble this afternoon shared a new statement with ticketholders in regard to Sticky Fingers’ inclusion on the line-up.

“I hoped it didn’t need to be said, but unfortunately, it does. We at Bluesfest stand for something: inclusivity,” Noble said.

“We want to support artists who are achieving greatness, which often involves overcoming incredible hurdles. Please take the time to educate yourself with the facts regarding Sticky Fingers.

“They aren’t monsters; they are a seriously great Australian band whose singer has had to overcome barriers that would have sidelined all but the most determined to continue to perform. Yes, he has transgressed in the past, but not for many years.

“I question why there is such an ongoing witch-hunt toward a man with a mental health disorder. A man who is attempting to grow and function in society.

“Shouldn’t we forgive and provide a path to redemption for artists who have taken ownership of their situation and have proven for many years now that they have found a way to function responsibly?

“Is Australia the only place in the world where a minority attempts to ban one of Australia’s great bands over something that happened so many years ago?

“I want to thank the vast majority of the music industry for supporting inclusivity. Make us proud, Dylan; you are doing great!”

Bluesfest will return to Byron Events Farm between 6–10 April 2023 with artists including Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Paolo Nutini, Lucinda Williams, Beck, Gang Of Youths, Tash Sultana and more.

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Bluesfest expands to Melbourne

Australia’s Bluesfest is expanding to Melbourne for 2023.

With the original Byron Bay blues & roots festival running from 6-10 April, the brand is adding an indoor edition at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 8-9 April.

Bluesfest founder and director Peter Noble is teaming up with Melbourne music industry veteran Neil Crocker to stage the multi-stage spin-off. Acts will include Ash Grunwald, Buddy Guy, The Doobie Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, Henry Wagons, Kaleo, Kasey Chamber, Keb’ Mo’, Lucinda Williams, Paolo Nutini, Robert Glasper and Steve Earle.

With the opening day of Byron Bay’s 2022 Splendour in the Grass festival being cancelled after being hit by adverse weather, organisers stress the Melbourne complex “will be transformed into a fully weatherproof festival precinct”.

“We’ll be bringing some of the absolute premium international and local artists who perform at Bluesfest”

“We’ll be bringing some of the absolute premium international and local artists who perform at Bluesfest alongside the fantastic Melbourne artists to create an experience for music lovers that is unprecedented in this city,” says Noble.

“Offering patrons the chance to see more than 30 performances over a two day period in an environment that is weatherproofed, accessible and safe, right in the heart of the Melbourne and Docklands area.”

Weekend passes start at A$508.69 (€327.66).

Byron Bay Bluesfest returned in April with headliners such as Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Crowded House and Jimmy Barnes. Its 2021 edition did not take place after initially being postponed due to a public health order a mere 24 hours before doors were due to open to the public. A rescheduled date was later cancelled as a result of the pandemic.

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NSW gov announces $43m ‘Event Saver Fund’

The New South Wales (NSW) government has established a AUS$43 million support fund to boost the confidence of event organisers.

The Event Saver Fund will cover major events, taking place between Wednesday 15 December 2021 and Saturday 31 December 2022, that are “cancelled or significantly disrupted” by Covid-19 public health orders.

Only one claim can be made per eligible event and the maximum amount that can be paid per eligible event is $10m, according to the guidelines. Exceptions for the latter may be made for not-for-profit organisations at the sole discretion of the minister for the arts.

According to the guidelines, the financial support provided by Event Saver is intended to “contribute towards eligible
unrecoverable costs incurred by organisers of affected events; it is not intended to compensate event organisers for loss of revenue or loss of profit”.

The Event Saver fund, first announced in October 2021, comes after the Victorian state government launched an interruption insurance scheme for music festivals last November.

“It will go a long way to providing improved confidence for major festivals and events scheduled for 2022”

“Today’s announcement of an Event Saver Fund for major events has come just in time for organisers impacted by recent restrictions due to the current Omicron wave in NSW,” says Australian Festivals Association (AFA) MD Julia Robinson.

“It will go a long way to providing improved confidence for major festivals and events scheduled for 2022 and help relieve the financial burdens associated with cancellations.”

However, Byron Bay Bluesfest (pictured) promoter Peter Noble told The Music News that an insurance safety net is also needed to cover any shortfall.

The Australian festival industry has been calling for a nationwide insurance scheme for more than 18 months.

“Australia now lags behind New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Estonia in delivering a solution to this issue,” reads a recent statement by united live music and entertainment industry bodies including Live Performance Australia.

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Damage control: Peter Noble talks difficult start to year

Earlier this year, the governor of the Australian state of New South Wales pulled the plug on Byron Bay Bluesfest the day before the much-loved festival was due to go ahead. Despite agreeing to operate at 50% capacity under a state-approved plan, Bluesfest was given no option to comply, leaving the festival owing artists, suppliers and contracts with no income to pay them.

Here, festival organiser Peter Noble talks about the impact of the last-minute cancellation and looks ahead to the ‘new’ Bluesfest 2021, which takes place from 1 to 4 October…

IQ: Tell us about the moment you learned Bluesfest would not be able to go ahead.
PN: The public health order came through at about 3.30pm on 30 March, the day before the festival was due to open. We were literally set up and ready to go. Every single thing had been done; the stallholders had the food and the liquor was in the fridges, the signage was up – it was as close as you could get to opening your doors. That positive Covid case was the first one we’ve had in our area since July the previous year. It was a shock. We were traumatised.

Did the New South Wales government consult you before they pulled the plug?
I’d been given a heads up a few hours earlier that the government was going to do it, but we weren’t given any opportunities to do anything but comply. Even though I was very much a part of a process of developing the first Covid safety plan for live music, once it got down to the government decision, the festival was not part of it.

A lot of people felt the government’s decision was very heavy handed – that we are a five-day event, and they could have cancelled our first day and see if there was going to be any further positive cases in the community and, in fact, it turned out that there wasn’t.

I don’t think that the health minister would make such a decision so quickly without looking at all the options again. We all learned something from it and it’s no use crying over spilt milk.

What were the financial ramifications of the last-minute cancellation?
Well, the treasurer of New South Wales called on Easter Saturday, when I was still in shock, and said that I would be the first recipient of the business interruption fund – which I had been advocating for, for a bloody long time. The festival received an interim payment from the government that allowed us to pay all of our workers, make a good start on paying our suppliers, and pay the musicians money. We paid half the fee to anybody that was earning under A$15,000 [€9,500] and 25% to anybody that was earning over.

“Ticket sales for the rescheduled event have been astonishing. I love being in this industry”

Our next payment will be to stallholders who had perishable goods or craft beer. We had to do all those things to be able to come back. I can’t say how much we were given because I signed a non-disclosure agreement, but after the government’s final payment to us, we will hopefully end up in the same financial position we were in when we started working on that first event in May 2020, which was cancelled. Without the business interruption payments, we would have gone into liquidation for sure.

What does that say about the need for government-backed insurance?
The fact that there is no avenue for that kind of support, unless I go to the tourism minister with cap in hand and say, “Please save my event,” is farcical. But I think it’s probably because we haven’t really lobbied the government in the way we needed to, to be recognised for our contributions.

There are only ever a small number of major event producers. You’re not going to see many events in Australia calling out in the way that I am because most are backed by multinationals and have the ability to be funded. The government needs to be stepping in and saying: “We value events. We’re going to invest in them. Or at the very least, we’re going to launch a government-backed guarantee.” If they don’t do that, I fear we’re going to see a loss of events.

How did you make the decision to reschedule Bluesfest for October?
I said to our artists, “If we did reschedule, would you want to come?”, and all but two headliners said yes. So then it just came down to whether or not the team had the fortitude. I couldn’t put it on my team to do the event if they just couldn’t do it on a mental-health level. We were traumatised. But we decided to go ahead and all of a sudden, the vibe came back into the office.

Tickets to the rescheduled event were released on 20 May and the sales have been astonishing. We had about a million dollars in ticket sales within 24 hours. To see such a big show of faith from fans through buying a ticket has really made me think, “God, I love being in this industry.”

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Bluesfest forced to cancel at the eleventh hour

Byron Bay Bluesfest 2021 has been cancelled by a public health order, a mere 24 hours before doors were due to open to the public.

The New South Wales (NSW) government announced on Wednesday (30 March) that Bluesfest would not be permitted to go ahead on its scheduled dates, Thursday 31 March to Monday 5 April, due to a new Covid case in Byron Bay.

Bluesfest confirmed the cancellation in a statement published late afternoon on 31 March. “We are heartbroken that Covid-19 has spread into our local community,” it read. “We are getting the message out as quickly as possible so that those traveling to the event can make alternate arrangements.”

In a statement, Minister Hazzard said: “While the cancellation of Bluesfest is disappointing for music lovers and the local community, I hope that ticket holders would support Bluesfest and hold on to their tickets as I understand Bluesfest will be working on a new date as soon as possible.”

Under an NSW Health-approved Covid-19 safety plan, Bluesfest 2021 was set to operate at approximately 50% of normal capacity and production, hosting around 16,500 people on each of its five days, with an all-Australian line-up.

It’s just been announced that @BluesfestByron has been cancelled. While this is such huge blow for Aussie music, the health and well-being of this country has to come first. Thanks to the team at Bluesfest for doing the best they could in preparation. pic.twitter.com/4fpJBzqXAh

— Jimmy Barnes (@JimmyBarnes) March 31, 2021

The cancellation marks the second time the festival has been called off due to the coronavirus.

The last-minute cancellation of Bluesfest has prompted fresh calls for a government insurance scheme that would help live events redeem their costs in the event of an eleventh-hour cancellation.

Live Performance Australia and the Australian Festival Association, which have been advocating for a business interruption fund for the last year, say it’s “now a matter of urgency”.

“Govt has a Covid insurance system for the film industry. Music needs one too. Urgently”

Bluesfest’s Peter Noble had called for such a fund at the beginning of the year. A business interruption fund, he wrote on Facebook, would “incentivise event presenters to put on events and be protected in not going to the wall, should an out break of Covid shut down their businesses at short notice and protect artists, crew and suppliers [to] get paid should that occur”.

“The federal government did it more than six months ago for the film industry to get them back to making movies. Why are we still waiting?” he wrote.

Shadow Arts Minister Tony Burke has also called for a “Covid insurance system” for live music. “The music industry is full of viable profitable businesses unable to function because of public health,” he wrote on Twitter. “Govt has a Covid insurance system for the film industry. Music needs one too. Urgently.”

In the last year, insurance schemes have been announced in Germany (€2.5bn), Austria (€300m), the Netherlands (€300m), Belgium (€60m), Norway (€34m) Denmark (DKK 500m) and Estonia (€6m).

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Report: Bluesfest cancellation cost NSW €124m

The Australian state of New South Wales lost out on AU$203.6 million (€123.6m) in revenue, due to the cancellation of this year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest, a new report has shown.

The Economic Impact of Bluesfest 2020 report, commissioned by the festival and undertaken by Reuben Lawrence Consulting, highlights the loss of employment and gross revenue to the Northern Rivers region and state of New South Wales as a result of Bluesfest 2020 not going ahead.

In comparison to last year, it is calculated that Northern Rivers has lost $116.9m (€70.9m) in indirect tourism expenditure and around 745 full-time jobs due to the cancellation, with the wider state losing out on over $200m (€123m) and 1,158 jobs.

The 2020 edition of Bluesfest, which was set to feature Lenny Kravitz, Dave Matthews Band, Kool and the Gang, Patti Smith and John Butler, was called off in March – just three weeks before it was set to take place – following a nationwide ban on gatherings of more than 500 people.

“The economic impact reports clearly demonstrate that because of the Covid-19 pandemic our community is not only culturally poorer but also financially poorer”

“The economic impact reports we have commissioned clearly demonstrate that because of the Covid-19 pandemic our community is not only culturally poorer but also financially poorer,” comments Bluesfest festival director Peter Noble, adding that the report also “demonstrat[es] the impact that just one event of this scale can have on the economy of the country”.

“We therefore made the conscious decision to go ahead with Bluesfest 2021, with the awareness that we need to present the festival as a Covid-19 safe event, and we are working with the relevant authorities to ensure that happens, so the public can remain safe and to provide the wealth and jobs in the future that Bluesfest creates,” says Noble.

“Bluesfest is 100% independent and we are proud to contribute to our state and local communities and we look forward to doing it again in 2021.”

Bluesfest 2021 is set to take place from 1 to 5 April at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, featuring Bon Iver, Patti Smith, Jimmy Barnes, John Butler and Xavier Rudd, among others. Tickets for Bluesfest 2021 are available here, with five-day tickets priced at $513 (€312) and single day tickets starting from $157 (€95).

The Bluesfest economic impact report 2020 can be read in full here.

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