Cancellations of music festivals due to climate-related events have increased dramatically in the last five years. The Black Summer 2019-20 bushfires drove away Falls Festival (Lorne, Victoria), Lost Paradise (Glenworth, New South Wales) and Yours & Owls (Wollongong, NSW). Floods throughout 2022 held up Strawberry Fields (Tocumwal, NSW), This That (Newcastle, NSW) and Vanfest (Bathurst, NSW). Dozens of other Australian festivals have also been affected.
Festivals are also having to manage extreme weather impacts during events that have already begun. This was seen most recently at Pitch Festival in Victoria in March, where extreme heat and bushfire threats meant the festival had to be cancelled and audiences evacuated from the regional site.
In conjunction with Green Music Australia and the Australian Festival Association, we recently ran a roundtable to find out how the climate emergency is impacting events, and what is needed to adapt. The 41 attendees included festival organisers as well as representatives of industry bodies and government.
