By Allanah Sciberras

Thousands of Australian music fans will be left high and dry at Easter, with one of Australia’s largest festivals cancelled weeks out from the event.

Bluesfest organisers made the decision on Friday to cancel the Byron Bay event after experiencing poor ticket sales and rising production costs.

It has been a staple for festival-goers for more than 36 years, and has hosted some of the world’s biggest artists such as Bob Dylan.

“For more than three decades, Bluesfest has brought extraordinary artists and audiences together in Byron Bay while also driving significant tourism and economic activity for the Northern Rivers and NSW,” festival director Peter Noble said in a statement.

“This makes the decision incredibly difficult. After careful consideration, we concluded we could not proceed in a way that would meet the standard our audiences, artists and partners expect.”

It was impossible to proceed with the festival due to the current operating environment for major live music events, the festival added.

The festival was scheduled to run from April 2-5, with Split Enz and Parkway Drive the headline acts.

The festival said a liquidator had been appointed to manage all financial matters for the event, including vendor and partner obligations.

Ticket holders, including parking pass customers and campers, are expected to be contacted by the liquidator with more information and potential refund arrangements.

Organisers promoted the 2025 Bluesfest as the event’s final curtain call, but soon backflipped on the decision after the festival.

More than 100,000 patrons attended last year over the Easter long weekend.