Is It Time For Creamfields To Come Back To Australia?

Creamfields, one of the world's biggest electronic dance music festivals, has been attracting fans from all over the globe since its inception in 1998. 

The festival originated in Winchester, UK, but it quickly expanded to other countries, including Australia, where it solidified itself as one of the go-to events among the country’s EDM scene and attracted thousands of fans each year. 

However, the festival unceremoniously left our shores for good after promising a return in 2017, leaving many fans in the dark as to whether it would ever make a return Down Under.

The first Creamfields festival in Australia was held in 2010 and it was a smashing success, with headlining artists including The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, MSTRKRFT, Steve Angello, LMFAO and more.

The epic event went on to return in 2011 and 2012 and featured some of the biggest names in dance music, including Deadmau5, Skrillex, David Guetta, Alesso, and Dirty South.

However, after three successful years, the festival went on hiatus in 2013 before aiming for a 2017 return to celebrate Creamfields’ 20th anniversary boasting “the biggest and the best DJs and electronic artists”.

Sadly, the celebrations never came to fruition, and the festival eventually went the way of fellow former EDM event Stereosonic, which ceased in 2016 amid dwindling ticket sales.

But despite the setback in Australia, Creamfields has gone on to thrive in other countries. 

The festival has expanded to over 20 countries, including the UK, Spain, and China, and it has attracted some of the biggest names in electronic dance music, with some of the big names across the Creamfields North 2023 lineup including Armin Van Buren, Calvin Harris, Carl Cox, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim, Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto and more.

And while Creamfields may have struggled in Australia in 2017, it’s safe to say that the EDM scene has no doubt shifted greatly since then. 

While the festival may have faced challenges in the past, the music scene has changed and evolved, and there is now a renewed demand for electronic dance music festivals to make a comeback.

This has been emphasised in recent years with the re-emergence of festivals following the COVID-pause, including Splendour in the Grass, Ultra Festival, Festival X, Falls Festival, and Listen Out. 

It’s clear that fans are hungry for more festivals, and Creamfields could be the missing piece - particularly as punters are keen to get among the excitement of live music following the pandemic.

Australia's appetite for dance music has undeniably grown since this point - just take a look at Falls Festival, which returned with a huge dance music lineup that boasted names like Peggy Gou, Jamie XX, Camelphat, Ben Böhmer and DJ Seinfeld, just to name a few.

Meanwhile, Laneway 2023’s biggest crowd came from Fred Again.., who also saw major success on the recent Triple J Hottest 100 with a whopping four tracks listed in the countdown, not to mention Sydney DJ Flume taking out the top spot.

We’ve also seen our local electronic artists flourishing in their creative careers, with Dom Dolla having taken over the social media scene, and FISHER launching projects outside music, including launching a seltzer brand called FIZZ.

We’ve also seen warehouse party queen Alison Wonderland take on a side project in the form of her new, dark electronic persona, Whyte Fang, along with launching her own music label, FMU Records.

As for the Aussie festival circuit, previously boutique festivals like Beyond The Valley and Lost Paradise are seeing a growing popularity that could see them fast becoming mainstream festivals. 

Moreover, Australia has a unique music culture that festival organisers could tap into this culture and curate a lineup that reflects it. Events could include some of the country’s own iconic aforementioned electronic dance music artists like Flume, Alison Wonderland, Cosmo's Midnight, and FISHER, who would all undoubtedly make perfect additions to a local bill.

Creamfields has already proved to be a major event in the past, and by curating a lineup that reflects Australia's unique music culture, the festival has the potential to attract a new generation of fans and become bigger and better than ever - should it ever return to our shores.