Sunshine Coast Mayor rules out private operator for troubled Caloundra Music Festival

With rising costs having prompted the cancellation of this year’s Caloundra Music Festival, Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli has ruled out bringing in a private operator for the event.

While Sunshine Coast Council committed $275,000 per year funding for the festival last year, but it this was not enough to prevent this year’s hiatus after it experienced lower than expected attendance figures in 2023 combined with rising operational costs.

Last year’s festival attracted over 21,000, many thousands less than pre-pandemic attendance figures which were often more than 30,000.

Ruling out using a private operator, Mayor Natoli told The Courier-Mail “this is not something we are actively considering currently, and any funding model would ultimately be a decision of council.”

Announced on Tuesday, the cancellation of the 2024 Caloundra Music Festival after a 17-year run is another blow to the Australian music industry.

The festival director said rising costs and a tough economic climate were to blame.

What's next? Musicians are calling for better public support for the industry by buying tickets or spreading the word.

The Australian music industry has suffered another damaging blow after the cancellation of a major event on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Caloundra Music Festival Director Richie Eyles said there were a number of factors behind the decision not to run the October event, advising “the economy is probably the biggest one.

"People are doing it tough, disposable income is not there, and ticket sales, concerts, festivals are one of the first things to go."

Noting that the costs associated with hosting large-scale events had also risen significantly, Eyles stated “the only sensible decision we could have made at this point in time was to cancel this year's event because the numbers didn't add up. But let's hope that's not the way it stays.

"We've been on a great ride for the past 17 years at Caloundra and we've put on some fabulous artists and great memories.

"We've all got our fingers crossed for a return in 2025."

Image: Caloundra Music Festiva. Credit: Caloundra Music Festival.