Green Music Australia has released a report highlighting the vulnerability of Australia’s festival season in the face of the accelerating climate crisis. The report, entitled “Rain, Heat, Repeat: How Music Fans Are Experiencing Extreme Weather,” includes surveys from festival attendees as well as data from RMIT and La Trobe University researchers.
Survey results revealed that 85% of respondents had encountered “extreme weather” at a festival, with 68% experiencing such conditions within the past year. A significant 81% of festivalgoers expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of sufficient measures taken by Australian officials to safeguard them from weather-related risks at music events. Additionally, 33% indicated that they would opt out of attending a festival due to extreme weather, while 34% admitted to being more hesitant about purchasing festival tickets altogether.
According to sociologist Catherine Strong, who co-authored the report, there has been a noticeable shift in consumer behavior among festival attendees in response to extreme weather patterns resulting from the climate crisis. Many individuals are now opting to stay home instead of braving high temperatures or stormy conditions at outdoor festivals. The report also identifies a growing strain on Australian festivals as dwindling ticket sales and rising insurance premiums, influenced by the elevated probability of extreme weather events, are starting to take a toll on the industry.
In a separate incident reported by The Guardian, 26 live events in Northern Australia were scrapped within a week last month in anticipation of Cyclone Alfred. Furthermore, the Pitch Music & Arts Festival was compelled to cancel its final day last year following a bushfire warning issued by the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria, where temperatures had soared above 40 degrees Celsius during the event. Additionally, the Strawberry Fields Festival in New South Wales was called off in 2022 due to severe flash flooding, with nearby rivers reportedly reaching unprecedented levels. Megan Townsend, Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, provides insight into the impact of extreme weather on Australia’s festival landscape
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