Big Day Out cancelled in New Zealand, as of next year

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Tue, 17 Jan 2012 6:00p.m. LATEST

Big Day Out has come to New Zealand since 1994

Big Day Out has come to New Zealand since 1994

By David Farrier and 3 News online staff

This year's Big Day Out will be the last time the musical festival will be held in New Zealand.

Festival organiser Ken West says it is no longer financially viable to hold the festival in New Zealand as well as Australia.

Mr West says it is fitting that this year's headliners Soundgarden were one of the major overseas acts in 1994 - the first time the festival came to New Zealand.

This year's festival was slimmed down for financial reasons with hip hop star Kanye West removed from the bill.

“We found ourselves looking back at the Big Day Out and over the last few years it’s grown a bit and it’s become a bit out of control and it’s become a bit, honestly a bit too expensive, so we have looked at I guess going back to the beginning and rebuilding it,” said the Big Day Out’s New Zealand promoter Campbell Smith in November.

Mr Smith said future Big Day Outs would only have one main stage - which meant only room for one headline act.

There was some room for optimism earlier in the month with Big Day Out partnering with C3 Presents, the organisation behind US alternative music festival Lollapalooza.

The new deal was set to see artists from Australia and New Zealand get more opportunities to play in North and South America.

"I am really happy to be able to announce this new partnership," said Mr West on January 4.

"I could not have found more creatively sympathetic, commercially dynamic and like-minded partners than the guys at C3. We remain a locally passionate music business but can revel and excel in what this new global relationship and its combined wealth of knowledge and experience can bring for Australian and New Zealand audiences and Australian, New Zealand and international artists."

But this year's festival had also been marred by slow ticket sales, Mr Smith telling the New Zealand Herald the event was unlikely to sell out.

Fans are able to buy four tickets and get one free or buy a single ticket for $160 without any booking charges.

Big Day Out has been running for 20 years, but only started in New Zealand from 1994.

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Comments

18 Jan 2012 10:43a.m.

Kaz wrote:

Of course ticket sales are gonna be crap this year, they take away 2 of the main acts, remove half the stages and STILL expect people to pay more then what they did last year. If you are gonna reduce the festival by half, then that should also reflect in the ticket prices. I loved going to the Big Day Out in previous years (2011 was my favourite) but refuse to go this year because of whats just been said. At least I'm off to Soundwave in feb!

18 Jan 2012 09:44a.m.

Miss Virgo wrote:

The organizers of BDO didn't pay attention to their audience. Simple. Instead, hiring flavour-of-the-month artists, as opposed to live acts that people actually want to see. I do understand that it takes an astronomical amount of effort to organize a massive festival like BDO, but it's almost as though they've spread themselves too think by trying to appeal to everyone, or trying to appeal to a fickles top-40-whatever audience, who, let's face it--probably don't even think that live music is worth forking out $160 for, and probably download all of their music. A sad day, indeed!

18 Jan 2012 12:48a.m.

Kristy wrote:

I've never seen a BDO, but the only act I wanted to see this year was My Chem. But without BDO we won't really have proper music festivals, and Music is really important. Maybe if we had Soundwave instead, people would be really interested because the line up for Soundwave this year is absolutely amazing

17 Jan 2012 11:28p.m.

Ben wrote:

Knew this was coming... the acts have been getting worse every year. Never mind though.. i live in Queensland now BRING ON SOUNDWAVE BRISBANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

17 Jan 2012 10:57p.m.

michael batcheler wrote:

Soundwave for the win.

17 Jan 2012 09:11p.m.

jhooie wrote:

Maybe if there were decent acts.

17 Jan 2012 08:15p.m.

ButSecs69 wrote:

RnV now officially the biggest New Zealand Festival

17 Jan 2012 06:56p.m.

BD wrote:

I'm not surprised BDO 2012 ticket sales were slow the lineup is absolutely appalling! I think its about time NZ brought decent festivals to the country like Soundwave and other big festivals seen in Europe but no NZ will just suffer another setback of not being able to enjoy live music by their favourite bands for generations to come.

17 Jan 2012 06:55p.m.

sploot wrote:

^agreed, soundwave

17 Jan 2012 06:46p.m.

Former festival goer wrote:

BDO has progressed into a festival of unknowns with a has been band at the top of the bill. Goodbye BDO.