The Gold Coast leg of the national Big Day Out festival could be a thing of the past after 2013, with festival organisers today admitting that they “can't guarantee” the future of the stop.
Today the festival's CEO Adam Zammit blamed the threat on “punishing commercial terms” and a “lack of confirmed support from local and state government”, in a statement issued to theMusic.com.au and News Limited.
He said that the festival “remains determined to keep its show on the Gold Coast… [but] the Commonwealth Games seem to be a distracting priority above long held events like Big Day Out, despite the loyalty it has shown to the Gold Coast.”
The Gold Coast will hold the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and in September Queensland premier Campbell Newman pledged to build the athlete's village, set to house 6,500 competitors, at the Parklands Showgrounds site where Big Day Out is held.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
The festival, which this year will feature bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Foals and Vampire Weekend, is now looking to other venues in north New South Wales and Queensland for the 2014 event.
According to the Courier Mail, the Queensland state government have already blocked a plan by organisers to move to the Gold Coast suburb of Helensvale. Further south Bluesfest promoter Peter Noble, who owns the Tyagarah Tee Tree Farm in Byron Bay, has already indicated that he plans to bring more festivals to the region, but it is unclear if that Big Day Out's size and demographic would fit the mould of the event he is looking to attract.
New Splendour In The Grass site North Byron Parklands is also another Northern New South Wales option, but the site's regulations may prove too restrictive to Big Day Out's 25,000 plus capacity.
Gold Coast is the second stop for this year's Big Day Out, taking place Sunday 20 January. The touring festival is now partnered with American promoters C3 Presents, who are in charge of Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.
