The Aussie music festival remains a tough market, and while there have been many new successes (such as Dark MOFO), there are still reminders – such as the number of collapses in 2012 following a disastrous 2011 – that a music festival is a costly and difficult exercise.
The promoters for Foreshore Festival, one of the highlights on Canberra’s music calendar, have announced that the festival will be going into hiatus for 2013, a decision reached after promoters Kicks Entertainment found that the one-day event “was not going to meet the high standard people have come to expect.”
Kicks Entertainment Directors Ryan Phillips and Jeff Drake made the announcement early this morning in a statement confirming that the company “have made the decision to take 2013 off and focus on planning Foreshore 2014.” The statement continues:
As we began assembling the pieces for 2013 it became evident that the event was not going to meet the high standard people have come to expect of Foreshore, so rather than deliver an event we feel would not meet that standard, we have opted to give Foreshore a well-earned rest this year and focus our energy on Foreshore 2014.”
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision for Ryan and I,” added Kicks Entertainment Director Jeff Drake. “We feel so fortunate to have staged 6 highly successful Foreshore events with our partners, a tradition we will continue in 2014.”
Taking place annually in the heart of Canberra’s Commonwealth Park at the edge of summer’s kick-off in November, Foreshore Festival had its inaugural run in 2007, headline by Sneaky Sound System, and has maintained a distinct mix of electronic acts and DJs alongside cutting edge indie and rock bands ever since.
Foreshore has hosted the likes of Boy & Bear, Gotye, The Temper Trap, and Architecture In Helsinki as well as The Presets, Empire Of The Sun, The Bloody Beetroots, Armin Van Buuren, and LMFAO – often on the same bill.
As our Tone Deaf reviewer wrote of last year’s edition, “over the past few years, to varying degrees each time, Foreshore has worked at drawing two very distinct crowds.” The 2012 edition featured electronic music heavyweights like Tiësto, Calvin Harris, Major Lazer, and Flume, as well as the likes of Ball Park Music, 360, and RÜFÜS.
Over the last six years, Foreshore has attracted almost 25,000 young Australians to the Canberra, generating in excess of $8 million in “economic benefit” according to the press release.
Foreshore is also well noted for keeping its event 100% carbon neutral, ensuring that the greenery and beautiful surrounds of its Commonwealth Park site are maintained, but also working with Climate Friendly to offset emissions, recycle waste, and ensuring minimal environmental impact from scores of youths coming out to enjoy live music.
“Kicks thanks you, the fans that come to our events, for making the last few years possible and look forward to a massive 2014,” reads the statement from Kicks Entertainment.
