Australia’s longest-running blues and roots festival will not go ahead this year, with organisers announcing that the 2026 edition of Byron Bay Bluesfest has been cancelled after 36 years.

In a statement on Friday, festival director Peter Noble said the decision had been made after “extensive consideration” of the increasingly difficult operating environment for large live music events.

Ticket sales were reportedly slow for this year’s event, one headlined by Split Enz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sublime, reggae legends The Wailers and soul star Erykah Badu.

“For more than three decades, Bluesfest has brought extraordinary artists and audiences together in Byron Bay while also driving significant tourism and economic activity for the Northern Rivers and New South Wales,” Noble said. “This makes the decision incredibly difficult. After careful consideration, we concluded we could not proceed in a way that would meet the standard our audiences, artists and partners expect.”

Organisers cited sharply rising production, logistics, insurance and touring costs, combined with softer ticket demand and ongoing international uncertainties, as key factors...