Just In: Falls Festival Is Taking a Year Off and Won't Host Any Fests Over Summer 2023–24

If spending a couple of sunny days immersed in live tunes at Falls Festival is part of your summer ritual, we come bearing sad news: the end-of-year music fest won't take place over the 2023–24 season. The event's organisers have announced that they're sitting out this year after a chaotic period — including the festival's pandemic cancellations between 2019–2021, returning in a big way at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, and also hosting a Melbourne edition.

While the fest's team has announced the event's hiatus as "a year off", whether it will return for the summer of 2024–25, what the festival might look like and where it will take place hasn't yet been revealed.

"The past few years has seen unprecedented change in the live music space, both front of house and behind the scenes. While Falls' reboot in 2022–23 was full of amazing moments and we were thrilled to reconnect with our Falls fam, our team needs a break, so this year we'll take time off to enjoy the holiday period and allow some space to re-imagine how Falls will look in the future," said Secret Sounds co-CEO and Falls producer Jessica Ducrou, announcing the news.

"We send huge love and appreciation to all our patrons for their ongoing support and for the great vibes they brought to the 2022–23 events. You really are the heart and soul of Falls and we look forward to updating you with our plans when the time is right."

"We also want to send our love and thanks to our extended Falls team including staff, contractors, volunteers, sponsors, partners, suppliers, stakeholders and key agencies that we work with each year, for their enduring passion, dedication and support" Ducrou continued.

Falls Festival has spent 28 years celebrating each new year with a hefty array of acts, including Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Peggy Gou, Jamie xx, Chvrches and The Wiggles to see out 2022 and welcome 2023.

For its 2022–23 run, Falls took place in Pennyroyal Plains in Colac in Victoria, North Byron Parklands in Yelgun in New South Wales and Fremantle Park in Fremantle.

It's been an eventful few years for the fest beyond the pandemic mayhem, too; back in 2021, Falls announced that it was saying goodbye to its usual Tasmanian leg in Marion Bay after 17 years, and also moving from Lorne in Victoria after a 27-year stint.

Falls Festival won't return over the 2023–24 summer season. We'll update you when the event's comeback plans are announced. For more information in the interim visit the festival's website. 

Images: Charlie Hardy / Ash Westwood.