Thousands of Australians have been directly affected by the slew of music festival cancellations over the last 12 months, including Park Waves festival this week.
Exclusive: Thousands of Australians have been directly affected by the slew of music festival cancellations over the last 12 months, including Park Waves festival this week.
Now they're calling for more government investment in the scene, according to a nine.com.au reader poll.
More than 40 per cent of the 434 readers surveyed agreed that federal and state governments should invest in Australia's live music industry to support festivals and prevent more cancellations in 2026.
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"The government should support music the same way they support international sports such as tennis, golf and soccer," one told 9news.com.au.
A further 39 per cent of readers confessed to being at least 'somewhat concerned' about the future of Australian music festivals in light of recent events.
Park Waves festival, scheduled for February 2026, was cancelled on Tuesday due to challenges including economic issues.
"Ultimately, the numbers no longer stack up," organisers said in a statement.
Changing Tides 2025 was canned, and Groovin' The Moo cancelled its 2024 shows and didn't return in 2025.
Falls Festival and Splendour in the Grass gave 2025 a miss as well.
Money is the biggest issue for most Australian music festivals, according to two Creative Australia reports on the sector.
Rising operational costs, a lack of available funding and grants, and insurance costs have made it challenging for organisers to finance festivals.
Australians' ticket buying habits have also changed, creating uncertainty for organisers.
Festival goers ages 18 to 24 are purchasing tickets at lower rates than pre-pandemic.
Patterns of later ticket buying are also continuing, creating additional costs and risks some organisers simply can't keep up with.
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But when organisers have to jack up ticket prices to cope with rising operational costs, it prices some Aussies out altogether.
"Music festival tickets are too expensive," one reader said.
Another added that it's not surprising that Aussies can't afford them when many struggle to afford groceries and rent.
A combined 61 per cent of nine.com.au readers said they were 'not very concerned' or 'not concerned at all' about festival cancellations.
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But only 30 per cent were opposed to government investment in Australia's live music industry to support festivals.
One reader said events like festivals need to be self-sustainable, rather than relying on government support.
About 28 per cent of readers were on the fence about government investment.
"I don't go to music festivals but some could bring more tourism to the country so perhaps the government should invest in some," one said.
Others were concerned about how it could affect taxpayers.
"Festivals should be supported by the music labels to support our music industry, not be taxpayer-funded," said one.
Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au
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