Good Life Festival cancels 2025 edition due to costs

Good Life, a popular festival for teenagers in Australia, has announced it will not hold its 2025 event. The festival has faced rising costs that have made it difficult to plan. Good Life Presents has been running since 2010 and has held over 100 events across major Australian cities. Last year, the festival featured big-name acts like Lil Pump and Joel Corry. There is hope for a comeback in 2026, as stated in a social media announcement from the festival's organizers, Mushroom Group. The festival aims to provide a safe and affordable space for young people to experience live music without drugs or alcohol. Good Life has hosted many well-known artists, including Avicii and A$AP Rocky. This cancellation adds to the struggles of Australia’s festival scene. Other major events like Splendour In The Grass and Groovin The Moo have also been canceled for the second consecutive year. Additionally, the Souled Out festival recently called off its event just days before it was set to begin in Melbourne. A recent report revealed that more than one-third of Australian music festivals are unprofitable. Only 56% of festivals were making money in the 2022-2023 period. The young audiences, particularly those aged 18 to 24, are no longer the primary market for these festivals. In response to the problems in the live music sector, a parliamentary inquiry has suggested several measures to support the industry. These include tax incentives and subsidies to help make events more accessible to young people.