A new Griffith University survey has asked the patrons of two iconic music festivals whether transport is make or break for their overall event experience.  

Professor Matthew Burke and Honours student Rachael Leeson, from Griffith’s Cities Research Institute, are calling on festival-goers to share their experiences in the hope the feedback will help highlight the transport components that make for an amenable, large-scale, live music experience. 

Professor Matthew Burke.

In the past 18 months, iconic Australian music festivals such as Falls, Groovin The Moo, Mountain Sounds have been cancelled or rested, with reasons cited including high touring costs, insurance premium rises and changes in the ways consumers were accessing music and live performances. 

The latest major festival to be cancelled was Splendour in the Grass in March this year, which had been plagued with transport and infrastructure concerns since its relocation to North Byron Parklands in 2012. 

It was followed most recently by Bluesfest, whose organisers announced that the 2025 lineup also at North Byron Parklands would its last after 35 years on the event calendar. 

“Although these remote sites can be beautiful, getting there can be a real hassle which impacts people’s experience of the event,” Professor Burke said. 

“But we don’t need to do things this way. 

“From Summer Sonic Tokyo and Osaka, Lollapalooza in Downtown Chicago, to Danish Roskilde Festival, many highly successful music festivals are rail-based. Is this a better model that the Australian music festival industry should be considering?” 

Professor Matthew Burke

Leeson added: “Our early research uncovered local planning resistance to the ‘drive-in’ model – Splendour’s transport and land use planning for its final size was rejected by Byron Shire Council, but approved on appeal by the NSW Independent Planning Commission.” 

The surveys asks respondents: 

  • Which Byron Bay Bluesfest since 2019 or Splendour in the Grass (SITG) since 2017 patrons have attended; 
  • If disability affects their travel; 
  • How they travelled to the festival and if they experienced delays or issues; 
  • And whether these experiences would alter their attendance at future festivals 

The survey is now live here, and closes on September 30, 2024.  

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