Bluesfest to End After 2025 Event

Big news for music lovers: Australia’s iconic Bluesfest will wrap up after its 2025 festival. Yep, you heard that right! This beloved festival first kicked off back in 1990, and since then, it’s been a hotspot for some amazing artists, from Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar.

Organizers shared that it’ll be a bittersweet goodbye, but it’s time to close this chapter. Peter Noble, the festival director, mentioned how much they’ve loved celebrating music and community together, adding that the last festival, scheduled for Easter 2025, is going to be a memorable one.

Over the years, Bluesfest has grown from a small event held at Byron Bay‘s Arts Factory to a major festival featuring big outdoor spaces like Byron Events Farm. It’s hosted some of the biggest names in music, breaking away from just blues to include a variety of genres.

However, the festival has had its share of challenges, especially in recent years with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to cancellations in 2020 and 2021. While the 2023 festival went ahead, it faced some controversies as several artists dropped out last minute.

As many other Australian music festivals face struggles, like Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo, Peter Noble highlighted the tough environment live music events are currently experiencing. Costs are soaring, affecting the overall health of the festival scene in New South Wales.

Tickets for the final Bluesfest are already on sale, and it’s a chance fans won’t want to miss. So if you’ve been thinking about attending, it’s definitely time to make it happen!