Bluesfest creditors owed $7 million after festival's sudden cancellation
Byron Bay's Bluesfest went into liquidation in March, three weeks before its scheduled Easter event, leaving creditors owed more than $7 million with minimal prospect of recovery. The festival company had only $300,664 in the bank against debts to over 900 creditors, according to a financial report delivered to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The cancellation followed years of financial pressure from rising production costs, logistics challenges, and the impact of COVID-19 disruptions on the long-running music festival.
Byron Bay's Bluesfest, a music festival that began in 1990 and hosted major international acts, went into liquidation in March 2025, just three weeks before its scheduled April 2-5 event. A financial report from liquidator Worrells revealed the festival company owed more than $7 million to over 900 creditors but had only $300,664 in available funds, making full recovery unlikely. The festival's statement cited rising production, logistics, insurance, and touring costs combined with a challenging environment for major live events as reasons for the cancellation. Individual creditors like Uniform Print Lab, which was owed over $90,000 for merchandise including 6,000 branded T-shirts, have indicated they expect to recover little or nothing. The cancellation came after director Peter Noble had previously announced 2025 would be the festival's final year, a decision he later reversed, and following COVID-19 disruptions that forced cancellations in 2020 and 2021.
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Bluesfest creditors owed $7 million, financial report reveals
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Bluesfest creditors owed $7 million, financial report reveals
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