Another festival cancelled

Evidently, Canberra is not where young people want to spend their New Years Eve. The capital’s NYE festival Mission To Launch has just been cancelled, citing “poor ticket sales” as the reason.

The festival’s inaugural event was set to take place on December 31, featuring performances from acts like Bag Raiders, Sneaky Sound System and The Potbelleez. Not any more.

In their full statement, the promoter has explained:

“The decision has been a very difficult one for organisers who, as Canberra locals themselves, envisaged bringing a world-class party to the nation’s capital for New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, the current economic climate has seen music festivals across the country suffer with drops in numbers of attendees and poor ticket sales on a large scale. Mission To Launch has unfortunately suffered the same fate.

The festival was a bold and unique business venture designed for Canberra – an idea initiated by local businessmen and activated 18 months ago when the event market was more resilient. Ticket holders are entitled to a full refund from the point of purchase. Contact your ticketing agency for more details.”

This comes as the latest in a string of worrying festival cancellations. Canberra’s long-running festival Stonefest was dramatically scaled back a month ago, and 2011 has also seen the deference of Good Vibrations, reggae festival Ragamuffin and Perth’s One Movement for Music. Regional event Funk N Grooves pulled the plug, Great Southern Blues festival was cancelled, and Brisbane’s Sunset Sounds is, too, no more. Then there’s the scale-back to the Big Day Out events in Adelaide and Perth.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for Canberra – Foreshore festival is going ahead full-steam this weekend. Plus, there’s still Questacon.