Just two weeks out from kicking off in Sydney on October 24th, the promoters of Soulfest have announced the festival will not go ahead in 2015 due to poor ticket sales.
Despite a very solid lineup including Lauryn Hill, Black Star, Mary J. Blidge and De La Soul, a statement from Soulfest officials has revealed that ticket sales were so poor that “the financial loss that would be incurred by the event if it were to go ahead as planned would be devastating.”
The festival was set to take place in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as Aukland and an array of sideshows across major cities. At this point, none will go ahead.
Read the full statement below:
It is with a heavy heart and great regret that Soulfest International advises that it has become necessary to cancel Soulfest and the subsequent sideshows, due to poor ticket sales. Soulfest was scheduled to take place in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, with sideshows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and was due to commence on October 20th.
Soulfest was launched with the intention of promoting genres of music that are often overlooked commercially in this country, specifically Neo-Soul, RnB and Hip-Hop, and Soulfest 2014 successfully delivered some of the most exciting talent within these genres. Despite a stellar line-up of artists and the best promotional endeavours on Soulfest’s behalf, the event has simply not received the support via ticket sales, and the financial loss that would be incurred by the event if it were to go ahead as planned would be devastating.
There have been many people working behind the scenes, including media partners, artists, sponsors, sub-contracted promoters, communication managers, agents and suppliers who live, breathe and support this incredible genre of music and have worked tirelessly to try and make this event a success. The promoter sincerely apologises to all involved who have dedicated 7 months of their lives to work on this festival, and to the supporters of the event who purchased tickets.
No further statements or comments will be issued, however, if further information is required, please contact Soulfest direct on: [email protected]
For all tickets booked online or by phone, the credit card used in the booking will automatically be refunded. Please allow up to 14 days to receive your refund. If the original credit card you used for the purchase has been cancelled or no longer valid please contact place of purchase. If you made your booking at an outlet please return to the original outlet where the booking was made with your ticket(s) and credit card used to purchase in hand to obtain your refund. Refunds will only be provided to the original purchaser on presentation of photo ID.
