Let another major Australian music festival is cancelled: ‘We’re gutted’

by

The much-hyped heavy metal Park Waves music festival has been cancelled.

Parkway Drive’s planned 11-city Australian tour, originally set to begin in Perth in February, has been cancelled, likely due to increasing expenses.

Festival organizers announced on social media Tuesday that the outdoor event has been canceled due to low ticket sales and financial concerns.

Fans who bought tickets for the tour, which was scheduled to visit cities like Bendigo, Wollongong, and Byron Bay, are being refunded the full price of their tickets.

Organizers announced on Instagram that the Park Waves Festival tour of Australia has been cancelled, saying they were very upset to share the news.

We’ve unfortunately had to cancel the event. It was a tough decision, but a number of difficulties meant it was no longer financially viable. We did everything we could to avoid this, and we’re very disappointed.

‘We know everyone will be understandably disappointed.

You’ll get a refund for your ticket and any booking fees. We’ll send more details to everyone who bought tickets by email.

To anyone who bought tickets, and to everyone who keeps showing up for live music – thank you.’

Parkway Drive, the main act on the tour and a metalcore band from Byron Bay, also apologized to fans on Instagram. They explained that financial problems were the reason the tour was canceled.

It absolutely broke my heart to read the news – Park Waves Australia has been cancelled. The band shared the announcement, and it’s clear that financial difficulties were the reason. Honestly, it’s a devastating blow for all of us fans, and it’s so sad to see something we were all looking forward to fall through.

Several Australian music festivals, such as Groovin’ the Moo, Changing Tides, and Splendour in the Grass, have been cancelled over the past two years.

Ugh, it totally breaks my heart to even type this, but seriously, another festival is getting hit hard by all these insane rising costs in the music scene. It’s just awful, and honestly, it feels like a punch to the gut every time I hear about it. Parkway Drive said it best – it’s just… crushing.

‘It hurts to be another casualty in this chapter of the Australian music scene.

We did everything we could to make this work, but unfortunately, the situation just won’t allow it.

We want to thank everyone who has purchased tickets and continues to support live music in our country.

Your support is vital to preserving our community and helping it thrive, even during difficult times.

‘All tickets will be fully refunded, and ticketholders have been contacted via email.’  

Fans shared their disappointment on the band’s post.

One music fan jokingly lamented the high prices, writing, ‘Crushed by the cost!’ Another simply commented, ‘This is typical for Australian festivals.’

A third wrote: ‘These promotional and ticketing companies are killing the Australian music scene.’

This announcement follows the initial reveal of the Park Waves festival in July, which promised a tour running from February to March 2026.

The band originally planned to start their tour in Perth and Adelaide, then play multiple shows across Victoria and New South Wales, before heading to Byron Bay and Sandstone Point in Queensland.

Australian metal band Parkway Drive, known for their energetic performances – including a recent formal show at the Sydney Opera House – experimented with a festival-style event in Europe last year. They brought along bands Fit For A King and Thy Art Is Murder for a series of shows in Germany to see how it would go.

Many popular music festivals have been cancelled recently, and Listen Out is the newest one to close its doors, signaling a decline in Australia’s live music industry.

Read More

2025-12-02 11:50