The long-running Falls Festival will not take place in the 2023/24 season.
Typically taking place over the New Year weekend, organizers have confirmed via social media that the festival will not return in December to give its team the chance to “rest, recover and recalibrate”. This will mark the first time in 28 years – outside of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 – that the Falls will not usher in the new year.
After an impressive 28 years of ringing in the New Year with some of the world’s biggest acts, today the Falls crew are turning on their OOOs and taking this New Year’s season off to rest, recover and recalibrate. pic.twitter.com/PBfiiwiEEd
— Falls (@fallsofficial) 16 May 2023
The Falls’ organizers further assured fans that this is not the end of the festival, writing that it looks forward to “updating you with our plans when the time is right”.
A line-up for Falls 2023/24 was not announced before it was cancelled.
Falls producer and Secret Sound co-CEO Jessica Ducrou said in a press release: “The last few years have seen unprecedented change in the live music space, both front of house and behind the scenes. While Falls’ relaunch in 2022/23 was full of amazing moments, and we were excited to reconnect with our Falls Fam, our team needs a break, so this year we’re taking time off to enjoy the holiday season and allow some space to re-envision what Falls will look like in the future. “
“We also want to send love and thanks to our extended Falls team, including employees, contractors, volunteers, sponsors, partners, suppliers, stakeholders and key agencies that we work with each year, for their continued passion, dedication and support,” Ducrou added.
Falls 2023/24 – which featured the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Peggy Gou, CHVRCHES, Jamie xx, Animé, 1300, King Stingray, Amyl And The Sniffers and more – received a four-star review from NME‘s Ellie Robinson, who wrote: “Capping off a whirlwind year of live music – arguably the biggest Australia has seen since the start of the pandemic – Autumn 2022 left us hopeful for another stacked year of gig-hopping ahead. We also have high hopes for , that this pivotal move can become permanent: although the coastal environment and campsite were missed, the perfect sound and backdrop of Melbourne’s heart more than made up for it.”
In 2021 the Falls Festival announced it would be leaving Lorne for Pennyroyal Plains in Colac Otway Shire last year. However, the festival ultimately did not take place at Pennyroyal Plains as organizers Secret Sounds were unable to secure permission to use the Birregurra venue due to “a small group of objectors [who] opposed the approval of the building permit”. Instead, the Falls moved to central Melbourne for its 2022 Victorian edition.