Why Music Festivals Are Too Good To Be Wasted?

Written by Ben Madden

The mud under your feet, the lines for portable toilets, and your favourite bands. No-one ever forgets their first music festival (for me, it was a Splendour In The Grass), with Australians flocking to events of all shapes and sizes every single year. It’s almost a rite of passage for young Australians, going to a music festival, getting sunburnt, and coming home with a carload of memories that’ll last a lifetime. 

Post-COVID, there’s been a shift in the way that Australians interact with music festivals — which has had a ripple effect. Gone are the days of multi-day, multi-genre festivals like the aforementioned Splendour In The Grass and Falls Festival ruling the roost. Instead, more targeted festivals like Listen Out, Knotfest, and Good Things have become de rigueur, better catering to the tastes of genre die-hards. A 2024 report from Creative Australia showed that almost a quarter of all Australian music festivals were electronic music-focused, with rock, country, and indie all also heavily represented in the festival landscape.  Of course, large festivals are still thriving — you only have to look at Laneway Festival bringing Brat Summer Down Under for proof.

As someone with a front row seat to the evolving landscape, Jesse says that people’s ticket buying habits have changed. “With so many venues closing down from the hit of the pandemic, I think people got used to not going out, tuning in from home (just like how people like to work more from home these days). The whole ecosystem has been affected greatly, and with the cost of living crisis resulting in fewer ticket sales and, mass cancellations of some of our biggest events — the add on effect is international artists and their management have lost faith in Australia as a ‘safe’ option to tour — leading to higher fees  —  all this has all been on the table.”

When asked what other organisations can do to better support music festivals, Jesse has a clear message. He says, “I really hope that the Government can see this for what it is and get behind all music events and the beloved audience are also fully aware of the close call that we’re narrowly surviving through and now more than ever we need you — support the arts!”. It’s a message echoed by Cassie, “I think local councils need to be supporting local acts and promoters more, to provide a financial backbone to bring these events to life, and allowing promoters to charge a smaller ticket price — so festivals can be something for all people.”

The Soundcheck report also shone a light on the behind-the-scenes aspects of festivals, and showed that the average cost to run a music festival is $3.9 million. Throwing a music festival puts major stress on the organisers, and as Jesse puts it, “I think the best art and events are intention based and if the major intention is just to make money, then it’s sniffed out pretty quickly." It’s easy to take the memories we make as fans at music festivals for granted, but there are countless teams working tirelessly behind the scenes to make them happen. 

When asked what advice he’d give to budding festival organisers, Jesse says, “Follow your passion and if it’s really what you want to do, don’t let anyone stop you. Multiple people tried in our early days, from parents to the local councils, but they all get on board pretty quickly if they realise you’re serious about it. If you build it, they will come — but, it’s a long game, success doesn’t come overnight. They say be prepared to give yourself at least 5 years for anything business related to work and I believe that. So, you have to be immersed in that passion to stick it out.”

In an age where music discovery is mostly done on social media and streaming platforms, there’s something refreshingly organic about looking at a music festival timetable, and picking to see early-day acts at random. Today’s festival opener is tomorrow’s headliner, and if you’re known as the music-loving friend who’s on top of what’s set to be hot next, those “I was there when…” moments are worth their weight in gold. 

When asked who’s been the booking he’s most proud of from the time running Party In The Paddock, Jesse says, “It’s been a fun job, I’m not going to play that down; from doing a shoey from a giant (2 metre long) Blundstone with Grouplove in their dressing room, smoking a J with Lily Allen and absorbing all of her charming cockney brilliance, following The Darkness’s Justin Hawkins through the crowd with camera, while he was on his roadie shoulders guitar soloing, to recently having one of the most intelligently weird and wonderful conversations with AURORA whilst interviewing her this year at the festival.

“We’ve been blessed, but the ones that make me most proud and pull at the heart strings are seeing the up and coming local acts that I’m lucky enough to get behind close to their beginning — to watch them go on and tear up a big stage performance — I get emotional, tears are often shed behind my sunnies on the 2nd or 3rd day when I’m pretty sleep deprived, emotionally open/vulnerable and as proud as punch…”

Next time you’re looking for a weekend adventure, see what music festivals are on near you (or, if you’re up for it, round up a crew for a roadtrip). There’s nothing quite like wading through a music festival, gumboots on, and discovering your new favourite artists alongside a group that’s as solid as the line-up. Just make sure you bring a power bank, and drink lots of water (as well as a Normiel or three) — the only things that should leave you with a sore head are the speakers!