Inaugural Promise Village Festival Cancelled
“We’ve made the decision indefinitely to not return to Perth, we’re scared to.”
Promise Village Perth poster (Source: Supplied)
The inaugural Promise Village music festival, which was set to host current-day R&B, hip-hop, and Afrobeats stars, was cancelled less than two weeks after it was announced due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The general sale for the festival only opened on Monday (15 July).
Promise Village, which was supposed to take over Langley Park in Perth for one day – Saturday, 12 October, featured international headliners J Hus, Rema, and Jorja Smith. It also locked in stars such as Headie One, Nemzzz, Uncle Waffles, and more, with Yung Filly to host the event.
The inaugural event was to be presented by triple j and offer something new for Perth. However, if punters were interested in heading to the festival check ticket outlet Megatix, they’ll find a cancellation alert.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances Promise Village on the 12th of October 2024 will no longer be going ahead,” the notice reads.
“Refunds have been automatically processed so no action is required. Please allow up to 5 business days for the funds to reach your account used for purchase.”
Promise Village’s co-director, Emal Naim, told Perth Now that the festival had been cancelled due to low ticket sales and a lack of local government support.
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“It unfortunately didn’t hold up to initial expectations and there was not much support to sustain costs, it just wasn’t feasible anymore,” Naim – who grew up in Perth – said to the outlet.
Promise Village won’t be rescheduled, and Naim and his team may not bring other events to Perth. The festival co-director said, “We’ve made the decision indefinitely to not return to Perth, we’re scared to.”
Upon announcing the festival last Monday (8 July), Naim commented in a press release, “This is a long time coming for Perth, and we can’t wait to host a music festival on a global standard to a community of fans who have been waiting patiently.”
Naim has brought other new music festivals to Australia in recent years: Souled Out and Promiseland.
Earlier this year, the inaugural Souled Out festival brought Bryson Tiller, Summer Walker, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Tinashe, and more to Australia, hitting Sydney, the Gold Coast and Melbourne in March.
Promiseland—described as Australia’s biggest multi-cultural festival—locked in a whopping 79 acts for this year’s event, which takes place in early October at Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast.
2024 has seen the end of Mona Foma, the cancellations from some of Australia’s biggest festivals—Splendour In The Grass and Groovin The Moo—and the struggles of boutique and newer events, including Coastal Jam, Tent Pole, ValleyWays, Now & Again, and Fairbridge.
Pandemonium Rocks festival was also hit with cancellation reports and revealed an altered line-up. Meanwhile, Wanderer announced that it’s moved to a biennial format, while Falls and Mona Foma‘s winter sibling, Dark Mofo, have taken breaks in 2023 and 2024. Woodford Folk Festival is also encouraging punters to support the event more than ever in such uncertain times.
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