Regional communities must reinvent their Festivals in order to survive
Recent event cancellations in the Central West, including Ironfest, Lithgow’s Beatlesfest move to Bathurst, and the suspension of the Bathurst Winter Festival, are painting a concerning picture. But this is not just a local problem. Across Australia, festivals and major community events are struggling to stay afloat, facing rising costs, logistical challenges, and funding shortages.
Ironfest has had a long history in Lithgow, starting as an exhibition for metal workers and growing over time to the cultural celebration that it will be remembered for, including re-enactors, cosplayers, all manner of displays and performances and most of all; family friendly fun for all to enjoy.
To return to its former glory however, significant investments were needed and were not able to be secured for the 2025 event leading to its cancellation in February.
The 2019 event was a raging success and its future seemed secure till 2020. After a 5 year hiatus a smaller event was conceived for The Foundations in Portland, but it still drew large crowds with approximately 17,000 attendees to the free event.
It’s a pattern seen in many regional centres around the country and even in more commercially focussed events. The Big Red Bash music festival in Queensland, an event that pumps around $15 million into the local economy, has announced a hiatus. The Groovin the Moo festival, a long-running staple of the regional music scene, has been cancelled for the second consecutive year. Toowoomba’s Festival of Food and Wine is undergoing a major rethink, with uncertainty about its future.
Closer to home, the future of the Trundle ABBA Festival is also in question. After a two-year trial period following its 2022 cancellation due to severe weather, Parkes Shire Council has announced it can no longer fund the event in its current form due to financial constraints. While the Council remains supportive, the festival’s future now hinges on the availability of grants or a potential shift to a community-led model, with Council working alongside the Trundle District Progress Association to explore options.
These are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a larger challenge facing regional events across the country.
The event has now moved to Keppel Street in Bathurst.
Many of these cancellations point to the same core issues. Rising insurance costs, increased operational expenses, and a reliance on government grants that may not always be guaranteed have left organisers with little room to manoeuvre. Marketing, a critical element for event success, is often underfunded or mismanaged, making it difficult to attract the necessary crowds. Volunteer shortages add further pressure, as these events often depend on community support that is becoming harder to sustain.
Local councils, too, are facing financial pressures that make it difficult to justify ongoing event funding. With stretched budgets and competing priorities, councils are often forced to make tough decisions about where to allocate resources.
There is a clear need for regional events, particularly those that celebrate arts and culture, but local councils are not always equipped to lead their development. Most councils are structured to deliver essential services and manage infrastructure, not to produce or curate festivals. Arts-based events often require specialised creative input, industry networks, and marketing expertise that sit outside the core competencies of local government. While councils can play a valuable enabling role—by offering logistical support, providing seed funding, or facilitating partnerships—the expectation that they should be the primary drivers of cultural programming is perhaps unrealistic and unsustainable.
However, while direct financial support may be limited, councils can play a crucial role in other ways. Streamlining event approval processes, reducing red tape, offering logistical support, and helping connect organisers with potential sponsors or grant opportunities are all ways councils can continue to foster regional events without solely shouldering the financial burden.
Another challenge organisers face is the expectation that community events should be free or low-cost. The reality is that even free events come with significant expenses—venue hire, infrastructure, entertainment, insurance, staffing, road closures, and security all require funding. When festival organisers attempt to shift towards more sustainable business models, introducing ticketing or seeking corporate sponsorships, they often face community backlash. This resistance can create a contradiction where events are expected to be available to everyone, yet the financial burden to keep them running is not shared. Changing perceptions around event funding and educating communities on the real costs of these experiences is an important step towards long-term sustainability.
The loss of these events is more than just a disappointment for festivalgoers. The economic ripples extend far beyond ticket sales, starting with hospitality and accommodation providers who lose out on crucial revenue, right down to market stallholders who have likely already invested in stock in anticipation of events like the Winter Festival. When an event is cancelled, the entire supply chain feels the impact, affecting local businesses that rely on the influx of visitors and seasonal trade. These gatherings bring vital economic and social benefits, drawing visitors, boosting local businesses, and strengthening community ties. When they disappear, so too do the opportunities they create for regional economies.
Yet, while the challenges are significant, they are not insurmountable. Some events have managed to pivot successfully, finding new business models that reduce dependency on fluctuating funding streams. Exploring sponsorships, crowdfunding, and more innovative ticketing strategies can help ensure financial sustainability. Strengthening community engagement, involving local businesses more directly in planning and execution, and leveraging marketing more effectively are all strategies that can help events not just survive but thrive.
The cancellation of beloved festivals is a wake-up call, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the road. The passion for these events remains, and with the right adjustments, regional festivals can evolve into stronger, more resilient celebrations that continue to bring communities together and promote tourism. The challenge now is to rethink how they can be rebuilt for a sustainable future.
Main photo: Ironfest at The Foundations in Portland in 2024. By Trudy Bright Photography
