The Rubens' Festival ValleyWays Cancelled
"It simply isn’t the right time for us to be pursuing an ambitious music festival to take place in the town we all grew up in."
The Rubens (Credit: Giulia McGauran)
Another Australian music festival has been cancelled amidst cost-of-living pressures. ValleyWays, the music festival founded and curated by The Rubens, is no longer going ahead.
The event was due to take place on Saturday, 17 February, at the Onslow Oval in Camden, New South Wales. This year’s ValleyWays sported the likes of headliners Grinspoon, as well as The Rubens – plugging their latest single, Good Mood – Ball Park Music, Ruby Fields, Coterie, Srirachi, and a local competition winner to take the last place on the line-up.
In a statement issued by The Rubens yesterday (24 January), they thanked all the punters who bought tickets and the bands “who wanted to support live music in Camden”.
ValleyWays’ cancellation was announced via Instagram (with a cancellation notice also on Ticketek). “It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing that ValleyWays is being cancelled for 2024,” the band wrote.
“We understand that costs of living pressures and rising interest rates have severely impacted patrons. It simply isn’t the right time for us to be pursuing an ambitious music festival to take place in the town we all grew up in.
“We are very passionate & remain committed to our vision of growing the live music economy in Camden, and ValleyWays will return in a brand-new format in the future.”
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Ticket buyers can expect an automatic refund, but Ticketek notes that patrons should allow 30 business days for the refunded amount to appear in their account.
ValleyWays has previously hosted the likes of Aussie indie rock, punk, hip-hop, and R&B favourites Middle Kids, Skegss, Slowly Slowly, Stevan, Blessed, Grace Amos, Hollie Cal, Becca Hatch and The Dardie Shades.
ValleyWays is the latest in a rough period of event cancellations, with the Lime Cordiale-headlined Coastal Jam, Dinosaur Jr-headlined Tent Pole, and Now & Again festival getting cancelled in recent weeks.
Tent Pole referred to “the current economic climate coupled with the difficulties associated with establishing a new regional festival”, while Coastal Jam cited “the cost of living crisis” and “people waiting last minute leading to slower ticket sales, a major festival / international tour every other week and the overall financial constraints for our audience”.
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