Another Australian music festival has been axed.
Organisers of the Gaytimes Festival in Victoria announced on Tuesday that the event will go on ‘hiatus’ in 2026.
The festival began in 2016 and has featured performances from the country’s best LGBTQIA+ artists including Miss Kaninna, Mo’Ju, Memphis LK and Electric Field.
‘As an independent community-run festival, Gaytimes is self-financed almost entirely from ticket revenue with very little support from external sources like government funding, sponsorship or philanthropy,’ festival director Anna Whitelaw said.
‘Despite our best efforts, running a festival like ours is simply becoming too hard. For these reasons, we have made the difficult decision to take next year off.
‘We hope this isn’t forever — and we will be working hard to return in 2027.
Organisers of the Gaytimes Festival announced on Tuesday the event will go on ‘hiatus’ in 2026
‘We plan to use this time to recalibrate and find a workable model so Gaytimes can continue in some form for the next decade.
‘We also want to give our devoted team a well-earned break and time to work on other projects.’
The news comes after R’n’B festival Souled Out was officially axed last week, with organisers sharing a heartbreaking statement to social media revealing the event was no longer ‘financially viable’.
‘It is with a heavy heart we announce Souled Out will not be going ahead this year,’ the statement began.
‘Despite our best efforts, the event did not reach the level of support needed to remain financially viable. Like many festivals in Australia, we have faced ongoing challenges in the current market.
‘After exploring every possible option, we have had to make the tough call to cancel this year’s Souled Out.’
The festivals planned lineup was headlined by US R’n’B stars Don Toliver, Vince Staples, Jhené Aiko and 6lack.
The festival began in 2016 and has featured performances from the country’s best LGBTQIA+ artists including Miss Kaninna, Mo’Ju, Memphis LK and Electric Field
The Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane concerts have all been cancelled and organisers reassured ticket holders they would receive a refund.
The festival was first held in Australia in 2023 and was headlined by US singer Kehlani.
These cancellations are the latest blow for Australian music festivals, coming just weeks after Splendour in the Grass was also canned for 2025.
Organisers officially confirmed in January that the beloved Byron Bay music festival will not go ahead for the second year in a row.
