Slated to kick off this weekend, The Grass Is Greener have cancelled the Canberra (23 October) and Geelong (30 October) events citing increased costs across production, equipment hire, labour and artist fees as well as stagnated ticket sales.
Focussed on the long-term viability of the festival, that staged successful events in Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Mackay and Gladstone last year, the decision to pull the plug on the Canberra and Gold Coast legs has been made to ensure the festival returns for many years to come.The news also comes packaged with the withdrawals of several headlining acts including ONEFOUR, Ty Dolla $ign, Zhu and Maya Jane Coles. YG, PNAU, Sticky Fingers and Alok remain on the line-up for Gold Coast (22 October) and Cairns (29 October).
"Off the back of a vastly successful 2019, we dreamed of taking The Grass Is Greener brand nationally. However, COVID hit and the market conditions began changing rapidly across the industry," event organisers said via a statment.
"We are now experiencing increased cost of production, hire equipment, artist fees, labour, and more – all of which being more significant than ever before.
"In the post-lockdown context, we have worked tirelessly to make these shows happen. Exploring every inch of strategy for financial sustainability, our eyes have rested upon one goal: long-term viability for this incredibly special festival which has become a mainstay of Australia's artistic fabric.
"However, as you know, our business – like others – is hurting significantly in some areas of operations. What's more, ticket sales for this year's shows have been slower than anticipated due to presumed weather conditions and other external factors. "Having weighed up the risk of multiple options, we are extremely disappointed to announce that the Canberra and Geelong legs of The Grass Is Greener are cancelled.
"At The Grass Is Greener, we deeply value ethical practice above all else. Therefore, our decisions are made in the interests of long-term sustainability for all."
The Grass Is Greener takes place at Doug Jennings Park (Gold Coast) 22 October and Cairns Showgrounds 29 October.
