Byron Bay festival-goers and contract staff have been told the 2026 event will not proceed. Bluesfest 2026, originally scheduled across the Easter long weekend from April 2 through April 5 (all dates ET), has been cancelled, multiple sources have confirmed, and stakeholders are being notified ahead of an official announcement later today.
Byron Bay contract staff and attendees face sudden disruption
Contract staff who had been preparing in Byron Bay were advised of the cancellation, and other stakeholders are now in the process of being told. The 37th edition of the festival was due to take place over the Easter long weekend, April 2 through April 5 (all dates ET), and the decision has affected people with roles ranging from production crews to ticket holders who had planned travel and accommodation.
Bluesfest 2026 lineup pulled and ticketing removed
The festival’s ticketing platform is no longer offering passes for sale, and the announced lineup that included Split Enz, Parkway Drive, Sublime, Earth Wind & Fire, The Black Crowes and Erykah Badu will not go ahead as planned. The 2026 bill had been revealed later than usual after organisers said the lineup required international agreements, and that reveal named several major acts intended to perform across the Easter weekend.
Peter Noble and the festival’s long history in Byron Bay
Peter Noble OAM, who joined the event in 1994, had described Bluesfest as bringing the world to Byron and said previously that “Blues will always be at the heart of Bluesfest. ” The festival was first launched by Keven and Karin Oxford and Dan Doeppel in 1990. In recent years Noble had spoken about closing and then reopening the event; he joined Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Mandy Nolan at a return announcement tied to a Festivals Support Package launched during a past event.
Organisers had said the 2026 edition was first announced in November, and that the initial lineup reveal occurred later than usual. For now, Byron Bay attendees and contract staff remain in limbo, and an official announcement about the cancellation is expected later today.
