Why festivals across Australia like Goomfest and Dark Mofo are shutting up shop or taking a break
- 8 months ago
#festivals #festival #musicfestival #goomfest
Every year for the past five years, the small town of Wangoom has been rocked by an eclectic mix of bands, DJs and art installations. The cheekily named Goomfest outdoor music festival was founded in 2019 and has put the southwestern Victorian settlement of up to 200 residents on the map. It seemed like nothing could stop it pandemic, not the weather gods, ever-increasing cost of living. But like all good things, it seems Goomfest must come to an end. At least temporarily. “We ran it for five years straight and I never stopped to think about how intense it was,” festival founder Sam Pyers said. “Going through COVID, changes in the music industry and changing buying behavior of customers, with tickets being really uncertain right now, made us suspect it was the right time to take a break.” Sam Pyers founded Goomfest to replicate the sense of community he felt at festivals in his youth. Goomfest is one of the lucky ones. It will return after a short break, as will Falls Festival and Dark Mofo. However, other music festivals were not so lucky. Scene change The regional Victorian town of Wangaratta was left reeling last month after organizers shut down the town's historic Jazz and Blues festival. Organizers of the festival, which started in 1990, noted financial constraints and "a changing and uncertain outlook for music festivals across Australia". This isn't the only festival pulling the plug. Sydney's beloved Newtown Festival has been canceled after 40 years of music, while regional events in Victoria such as Macarthur's Music in the Vines and Maldon's Goldfields Gothic have also recently settled. While new events such as Lookout Festival are emerging, they are seemingly closer to the exception than rule. Catherine Strong, associate professor in RMIT's music industry programme, told ABC Radio's The Conversation Hour that Australia's festival scene may have reached saturation point. “At some point there will be too many of to handle them all and you will see some of dwindle,” Dr Strong said. Goomfest will take a short break to re-evaluate its business model. “What we're seeing now, about audience habits changing, whether it's about people being more interested in certain types festivals... or we're seeing people pulling out festivals because the cost venues, very difficult to understand, there's a lot uncertainty. “I think we're still in the post-COVID turmoil, which means patterns are still starting to emerge.” show me the money The shift from major festivals to more boutique events did not go unnoticed by the Australian Festival Association. The association's chief executive Mitch Wilson said the crackdown on community-based events was most prevalent in Victoria. Mitch Wilson says Victorian music lovers tended to go to smaller, more niche festivals. “There is a real shift in audience ticket buying behavior and I think the industry just needs a few more seasons to recover,” they
Every year for the past five years, the small town of Wangoom has been rocked by an eclectic mix of bands, DJs and art installations. The cheekily named Goomfest outdoor music festival was founded in 2019 and has put the southwestern Victorian settlement of up to 200 residents on the map. It seemed like nothing could stop it pandemic, not the weather gods, ever-increasing cost of living. But like all good things, it seems Goomfest must come to an end. At least temporarily. “We ran it for five years straight and I never stopped to think about how intense it was,” festival founder Sam Pyers said. “Going through COVID, changes in the music industry and changing buying behavior of customers, with tickets being really uncertain right now, made us suspect it was the right time to take a break.” Sam Pyers founded Goomfest to replicate the sense of community he felt at festivals in his youth. Goomfest is one of the lucky ones. It will return after a short break, as will Falls Festival and Dark Mofo. However, other music festivals were not so lucky. Scene change The regional Victorian town of Wangaratta was left reeling last month after organizers shut down the town's historic Jazz and Blues festival. Organizers of the festival, which started in 1990, noted financial constraints and "a changing and uncertain outlook for music festivals across Australia". This isn't the only festival pulling the plug. Sydney's beloved Newtown Festival has been canceled after 40 years of music, while regional events in Victoria such as Macarthur's Music in the Vines and Maldon's Goldfields Gothic have also recently settled. While new events such as Lookout Festival are emerging, they are seemingly closer to the exception than rule. Catherine Strong, associate professor in RMIT's music industry programme, told ABC Radio's The Conversation Hour that Australia's festival scene may have reached saturation point. “At some point there will be too many of to handle them all and you will see some of dwindle,” Dr Strong said. Goomfest will take a short break to re-evaluate its business model. “What we're seeing now, about audience habits changing, whether it's about people being more interested in certain types festivals... or we're seeing people pulling out festivals because the cost venues, very difficult to understand, there's a lot uncertainty. “I think we're still in the post-COVID turmoil, which means patterns are still starting to emerge.” show me the money The shift from major festivals to more boutique events did not go unnoticed by the Australian Festival Association. The association's chief executive Mitch Wilson said the crackdown on community-based events was most prevalent in Victoria. Mitch Wilson says Victorian music lovers tended to go to smaller, more niche festivals. “There is a real shift in audience ticket buying behavior and I think the industry just needs a few more seasons to recover,” they