Peter Noble Backflips On 2025 Being The Final Bluesfest

2025 might not be the final edition of Bluesfest after all—not if the sales for next year’s event and Festival Director Peter Noble’s persistence have anything to do with it.

In a candid new interview with IQ Magazine, Noble discussed the future of the Byron Bay-based event, government support, and music industry machinations that led him to describe next year’s Bluesfest as the final one.

IQ Magazine reports that Noble is currently booking artists for the 2026 festival and is back in discussions with the NSW state government about potential support.

There’s no doubt that 2024 has been a turbulent year for music festivals in Australia, with premier events like Splendour In The Grass and Groovin’ The Moo cancelling their events just weeks after announcing their respective line-ups. So, in August, it looked like the country’s cultural scene would be dealt another blow when Peter Noble announced next year’s event would be the final Bluesfest.

• Peter Noble: 'Bluesfest Is Something We Believe Is Worth Fighting For'

However, Noble has discussed that choice with IQ Magazine.

Describing August as “a time of great disappointment,” Noble said the state government declined to invest in Bluesfest for its 2025 event. Outlining why he believed Bluesfest was worth government support, Noble continued:

During the last 12 years, Bluesfest brought $1.1 billion to our state through inbound tourism. That is a tsunami of gold, but it seemingly doesn’t count. The [state government] just wanted to put it in their coffers and not take responsibility for Australia’s great events.

Later in the interview, Noble laid out his position, asking what he had to do to save Bluesfest. “Do we have to say it’s the last Bluesfest to get people to focus on us?”

He added, “All we’ve asked our state to do is to show us that they care about the most highly awarded event in the history of Australian music. Regardless, I will always find a way for Bluesfest to go forward – that is my job.”

Due to billing next year’s event as the final Bluesfest, the event has seen incredible support from punters and is well on its way to selling out in advance of its Easter weekend dates.

“We’re potentially going to have our most successful festival yet,” Noble told IQ Magazine. “We’re on the path to selling out, with 89,000 passes sold, and I’m sure we’ll go past 90,000 after [yesterday’s] artist announcement. We’re probably the best-selling festival in Australia at the moment. We’ve been shown that people care about events and culture.”

This week, Bluesfest unveiled its third artist announcement for its 2025 event. Missy Higgins, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Nahko, and others will join Crowded House, Gary Clark Jr, Allison Russell, Brad Cox, WILSN, Kasey Chambers, The Cat Empire, and stacks more.