Australian music festival Good Life Presents has announced the cancellation of its 2025 event, becoming the latest music festival to face difficulties. Organizers stated that rising operating costs and artist fees are the main reasons behind this decision. These increasing costs have made it unsustainable to continue the festival in its current form.
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03-21, 2025Founded in 2010, Good Life Music Festival is a multi-city daytime event specifically designed for teenagers. The festival has held over 100 events in Australia, most recently the Lost City Festival in Brisbane and Sydney last April, headlined by American rapper Lil Pump and British DJ Joel Corry. Plans for the 2025 event had not been previously announced, leaving fans disappointed.
Good Life Music Festival, under the Mushroom Group, released a statement on social media on Wednesday, assuring audiences that "this is not goodbye" and planning to return in 2026. The statement mentioned: "These challenges make it impossible for us to provide the world-class lineup and experience that Australian teenagers expect." The organizers are committed to finding solutions for a successful return.
The statement also emphasized: "Our mission has always been to provide an affordable, drug and alcohol-free event where young people can immerse themselves in live music and entertainment in a safe environment and build real connections in an increasingly digital world." Good Life Music Festival has previously invited numerous international and Australian renowned artists such as Avicii, The Kid LAROI, Lil Uzi Vert, Macklemore, Havana Brown, Rudimental, Skrillex, and A$AP Rocky, contributing to its popularity.
Following the consecutive second-year cancellations of Splendour In The Grass and Groovin The Moo, the cancellation of Good Life Music Festival undoubtedly brings another blow to the Australian music festival market. This February, Souled Out Music Festival also announced its cancellation a week before its scheduled first event in Melbourne. Souled Out stated in a statement: "Like many festivals in Australia, we are facing ongoing challenges presented by the current market," indicating a broader industry trend.
A report released last year by Creative Australia, a creative arts investment advisory body, showed that more than a third of Australian music festivals are operating at a loss due to increased operating costs. The report also pointed out that only 56% of music festivals were profitable in 2022-23, and young audiences aged 18-24 are no longer the primary market for the industry, signaling a shift in audience demographics.
This March, the Australian Parliament conducted an inquiry into the live music industry and proposed several recommendations to help the industry, including tax credits, providing discount or voucher schemes similar to those in Germany, France, and Spain for the 18-24 age group, and reducing or eliminating policing costs for music festivals. These measures aim to alleviate financial burdens and attract younger audiences back to live music events.
