NEWCASTLE'S biggest annual music festival, This That, has been cancelled for a consecutive year due to poor ticket sales.
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The Newcastle Herald understands only 35 per cent of tickets had been purchased for the festival, which was set to return to Wickham Park on November 11.
The Queensland leg of This That, scheduled for Sandstone Point on November 4, has also been axed.
In past years the youth-orientated event had attracted up to 18,000 festival-goers to Wickham Park and usually sold out well in advance.
Even a solid line-up headlined by Sydney rockers Gang Of Youths, US electronic producer Porter Robinson and Canberra's party duo Peking Duk, failed to spark demand as expected.
Ticket prices for Newcastle's This That ranged from $141 for first release up to $255 for VIP.
Last year's This That was cancelled three months out due to a combination of economic factors, including supply chain issues, labour shortages, ballooning insurance premiums and infrastructure costs.
"It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce This That Sandstone Point (QLD) and Newcastle (NSW) festivals will no longer be going ahead," promoters said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
"This difficult decision was reached due to the challenging economic conditions we have been working within this past year, and the many factors that have been impacted by this.
"It has left us feeling that the This That experience you have come to know and love, and that we pride ourselves on offering, would only be dampened if we were to forge ahead."
Oztix will be contacting all ticket-holders to organise refunds.
This That had hoped to make a rousing return to Newcastle's springtime event calendar after several years of postponements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last This That festival was held in February 2022.
The latest cancellation has called into question the long-term viability of This That and other major music festivals.
The Herald has been told This That is unlikely to be held in future.
The economic downturn due to high inflation and rising interest rates, combined with an influx of international competition from major artists like Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift, has led to an overall downturn in ticket sales for live music in Australia.
Earlier this week the newly-launched Off The Rails festival, scheduled for the University of Newcastle's Bar On The Hill on September 30, was forced to downsize its line-up and shift from the outside courtyard to the inside stage due to sluggish ticket sales.
"Obviously we wish this wasn't the case, but at this point the projected financial loss for smaller independent promoters like us would be too huge to cop," Off The Rails promoters said in a statement.
IN THE NEWS
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
