Geelong-based festival Motor City Music Festival has been cancelled for 2017, with promoter Hugo T Armstrong citing a "reluctance in the Geelong marketplace to pre-purchase tickets" and "apathy" from festival-goers.
Taking to Facebook, the festival announced its cancellation of its fourth event in March 2017, writing, "While thousands of happy patrons attended the three Motor City Music Festivals, the current economic climate combined with lower than expected ticket sales and a clear reluctance in the Geelong marketplace to pre-purchase ticket (even those heavily discounted) has clearly made this festival and the wider music industry question the viability of large scale music events in Geelong."
Armstrong later spoke to the Geelong Advertiser, telling them that though local businesses were onboard for Motor City Music Festival, "People would come up to me at the festival and say how Geelong people would complain that there’s not enough on but, when there are things on they don’t invest in it.
"Complacency’s not the world, apathy’s the word."
The festival boasted three days of bands like Canada's Miss Quincy, Wild Violet and a handful of tribute acts.
Armstrong also noted that storied festivals like Meredith, Falls and Queenscliff continued to succeed because the market is stronger outside of Geelong.
"Those festivals are amazing and they’re entrenched. It just shows the difference of our regional surrounds to Geelong, it shows a really big difference," Armstrong said.
There is no word yet on whether Motor City Music Festival will return in 2018. Refunds are available for the 2017 event.
