Groovin the Moo

SYDNEY, Australia — As Groovin the Moo disappears from the events calendar for the second successive year, a call for urgent assistance from the federal government.
Last Friday, Jan. 31, news broke of GTM’s decision to sit out its second successive year, joining Splendour In The Grass from the sidelines.

“It’s disappointing to see that Groovin the Moo, one of Australia’s longest-running touring festivals, will not be going ahead in 2025,” reads a statement from Olly Arkins, managing director of the Australian Festival Association, which counts GTM among its members.

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Regional festivals like GTM “play a vital role in connecting audiences with live music outside of major cities, providing opportunities for artists, local businesses, and festival workers,” the statement continues.

“But like many events across the country, the rising costs of production and ongoing challenges in the industry have made it increasingly difficult to operate.”

AFA’s Arkins says now is the moment for government to pump much-needed funds into “Revive Live,” part of the government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, which launched in 2023.

The cancelation “highlights the urgent need for the Federal Government to extend Revive Live funding to ensure festivals of all sizes can continue to thrive. Festivals are essential to Australia’s cultural and economic landscape, and we look forward to seeing Groovin the Moo return in the future.”

Last Friday, festival producers Fuzzy shared the news no one wanted to hear. “Groovin The Moo won’t be happening in 2025,” reads a statement posted on social media, “while we work on finding the most sustainable model for Australia’s most loved regional touring festival.”

The message continues, “We will really miss seeing the smiling faces of all our beloved Moo Crew – and that means YOU! In the meantime, which artist would you most like to see on a GTM lineup?”

It was a similar story a year earlier, when organizers canceled the 2023 show due to poor ticket sales. That fest had been announced with a bill featuring Alison Wonderland, DMA’S, Jet, Armani White, GZA & the Phunky Nomads, the Jungle Giants and more.

GTM’s point of difference is in its route around the country, visiting primarily regional centers and bypassing Australia’s big three east coast cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane). The 2023 run was scheduled to start April 25 at Adelaide Showground, then visit sites in Canberra, Bendigo, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast and wrap up May 11 in Bunbury, Western Australia.

Established by Cattleyard Promotions, GTM’s first festival was held on April 2005 in Gloucester, New South Wales.

Through the years, a who’s who of edgy rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music have graced its stages, from Vampire Weekend and Silverchair to Disclosure, The Darkness and many more.

GTM made international headlines in 2018 when its Canberra leg trialed pill testing, a first in Australia. A second trial was conducted in 2019, with more than 230 festival-goers reported to have used the pill-testing service, and seven substances were found to contain the potentially lethal n-ethylpentylone.

Researchers said the trial worked, and similar models are being rolled out at festivals in other states.

When the pandemic shut borders, grounded travel and social distancing became the norm, the festival brand halted its 2020 and 2021 events.

Australia’s colorful festivals marketplace is struggling under the weight of pressures coming at every angle, from the cost-of-living crisis, to the soaring price of securing talent and crew, changing ticket-buying behavior and more. Bluesfest director Peter Noble has described the troubles punishing the festivals industry as an “extinction event” – not everyone will survive, but life will go on and evolve.