Australia’s Groovin the Moo, one of the country’s most popular touring festivals, has canceled this year’s edition due to poor ticket sales.
Just weeks after announcing a bill that featured Alison Wonderland, DMA’S, Jet, Armani White, GZA & the Phunky Nomads, the Jungle Giants and many others, organizers on Wednesday (Feb. 14) announced they would pull the pin.
“We are extremely disappointed to announce that the Groovin the Moo 2024 tour has been forced to cancel,” reads the statement. “Ticket sales have not been sufficient to deliver a regional festival of this kind.”
GTM’s point of difference is in its route around the country, visiting primarily regional centers and bypassing Australia’s big three east coast cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane). This year’s run was scheduled to start April 25 at Adelaide Showground, then visit sites in Canberra, Bendigo, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast and wrap up May 11 in Bunbury, Western Australia.
Ticketmaster-affiliated Moshtix supported the event, along with Spotify and national youth broadcaster triple j.
“All tickets will be refunded automatically,” reads the statement. “Thank you to everybody who has supported the festival. We hope to be able to bring Groovin the Moo back to regional communities in the future. There will be no further comments from Groovin the Moo at this stage.”
Established by Cattleyard Promotions, Groovin the Moo’s first festival was held on April 2005 in Gloucester, New South Wales.
Through the years, a who’s who of edgy rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music have graced its stages, from Vampire Weekend and Silverchair to Disclosure, The Darkness and many more.
Australia hasn’t dodged the cost-of-living crisis, and selling concert and festival tickets isn’t a cinch.
Last month, economist Stephen Smith, senior partner with Deloitte Access, told reporters that, once population growth, tax and mortgage payments, as well as the annual and monthly inflation figures were taken into account, most Australians were feeling the pinch.
Groovin the Moo is by no means the only festival struggling to shift enough tickets to stay afloat.
Adelaide Hill’s Vintage Vibes cancelled its event just weeks ahead of showtime, citing “economic pressures, while NSW’s ValleyWays in Camden, Sydney was also scrapped. “We understand that costs of living pressures and rising interest rates have severely impacted patrons, particularly in regional areas like Camden,” read a statement from organizers, TEG MJR and the Rubens. “It simply isn’t the right time for this ambitious music festival to take place.”
Grooovin the Moo made international headlines in 2018 when its Canberra leg trialed pill testing, a first in Australia. Later, when the pandemic shut borders, grounded travel and social distancing became the norm, the festival brand scrapped its 2020 and 2021 events.
