Loss of Council supports leads to cancellation of Endless Summer Festival

The 2014 Endless Summer Festival, due to be held in the Southern Sydney suburb of Cronulla, has been cancelled with organisers citing “a last minute decision” by Sutherland Shire Council to cut funding for the event.

Event founder and Director Mario Kalpou has confirmed that Festival, scheduled to be staged from 26th to 28th December in Cronulla’s Gunnamatta Park, will not go ahead, explaining “it’s with regret that I confirm we’re unable to proceed with staging the 2014 Endless Summer Festival.

“Without warning, the Sutherland Shire Council has pulled $50,000 in sponsorship funds, and as a direct result we are unable to proceed with staging the event.

“The event is a free community event, not ticketed, and there is no way this close to the event launching that we can hope to make up a $50,000 budget shortfall.

“It is devastating.”

The Council responded, saying it was keen to see the events run but had to prioritise grant requests from community organisations over “for profit” events such as Endless Summer.

The Council explained that it had received a request for $150,000 sponsorship for the Endless Summer 2014 event.

A Council spokesperson explained “from that request, the event organisers were asked to provide further information on the expenditure of council's sponsorship of $50,000 for the inaugural Endless Summer event in 2013 and how the request for $150,000 funding for the 2014 event would be spent.”

The spokesperson added that once it had received further information, it decided to offer Endless Summer organisers “$15,000 in kind support to provide waste removal, litter collection and toilet cleaning at Gunnamatta Park” over the three- day event.

Releasing a statement saying he was “at a loss to fully comprehend Councils last minute decision to pull the already budgeted funding”,  Kalpou explains “the funds have been pulled at the 11th hour, it’s hugely disappointing.

“If it had of happened earlier in the year I could have found another sponsor and the event would have proceeded.

“But with Council doing this so last minute I am unable to fill such a big hole in the budget.

“I personally have committed hundreds of hours, employed staff since the beginning of the year and garnered a lot of support from local businesses and other sponsors.

“A lot of people are going to be disappointed the event isn’t going ahead and none more so than me.”

Last years’ inaugural Endless Summer Festival was a huge success, attracting crowds in excess of 50,000 across three days, and bought in significant revenue to the Cronulla Shire.

The 2013 event featured a stellar line up of food and market stalls, with the music line-up including some of Australia’s best bands; Touch Sensitive, Dustin Tebbutt, Amy Meredith, The Preatures, Bluejuice, Asta, Strangers, Shinobi, Marlin Zando, Skryptcha and I am Apollo, all performing free of charge to the public.

In 2014 the Endless Summer Festival free music offering was set to be even bigger with international acts joining top Aussie bands on the line-up, and the event expected to attract crowds in excess of 60,000.

Kalpou concluded “the event was such a coup for the region. It’s hard to comprehend local government doing what the Sutherland Shire Council has done.

“It’s crushing. We are however already making plans for the 2015 event. I refuse to let them ruin the spirit of what was such an awesome free community event. I love the Cronulla region.

“It’s where I live and run a business, which is why I was so happy to bring the Endless Summer Festival to the area. It benefited so many businesses.

”But, that said, we’ll be back even bigger and better next year.”