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The trend of postponing music festivals hasn’t reached SA shores. The Joy of Jazz released the first batch of performers for this year’s instalment.
A slew of international festivals have cancelled or postponed their editions for 2025. But the show goes on in South Africa. Picture: Matt Jelonek / Getty Images
Like flies dropping dead after a fumigation session, international music festivals are informing patrons that this year’s editions will be postponed due to rising costs.
At least 25 international music festivals have confirmed that they won’t take place this year due to a rise in production and logistical costs, while others have cited the unavailability of preferred artists.
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Music festival cancellations
On what was supposed to be its 20th edition this year, US music festival Pitchfork Music Festival was one of the first to announce that it wouldn’t be taking place in 2025.
“As the music festival landscape continues to evolve rapidly, we have made the difficult decision not to host Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in 2025,” read the festival’s statement in late 2024.
“This decision was not made lightly. For 19 years, Pitchfork Music Festival has been a celebration of music, art, and community — a space where memories were made, voices were amplified, and the shared love of music brought us all together.”
The Sundown Festival in the UK, which began in 2013 after being renamed from Norfolk Spectacular, has also decided on not going ahead this year.
“For 12 incredible years, Sundown Festival has been Norwich’s ultimate summer send-off. What started as humble beginnings grew into a five-stage camping festival, partnering with iconic music brands and artists, surviving a pandemic, and even taking Sundown to Malta. It’s been an unforgettable journey.”
In the US multi-day music festival WinterWonderGrass also said they were taking a pause in 2025.
“The main reason for us to pause in 2025 is simply due to the rising cost of doing business in Northern California – starting with lodging, but running on down to all the items necessary to run a world class operation,” said a statement from WinterWonderGrass organisers.
WinterWonderGrass was established in 2013.
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South African party continues
The trend cancelling music festivals hasn’t reached South African shores though.
At the beginning of 2025 Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie was so impressed by the turnout at the Milk & Cookies fest, which was headlined by international DJ and producer Kaytranada, that he said he wanted to see more of such events.
“South Africans are hungry for a good time, we are bringing back the happiness economy,” said an elated McKenzie, speaking at the Milk & Cookies fest hosted at Huddle Park Golf & Recreation.
“We’re bringing it back, 2025 we’re gonna [sic] have many of these. International artists are coming back home to perform here, look at this,” he said gesturing at the big crowd at the festival.
Music festival, the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, released the first batch of performers for this year’s instalment, which includes US bassist and singer Esperanza Emily Spalding.
“Once you have announced the line-up of artists, what is left is the marketing and selling of tickets. “We start planning the festival a year in advance,” said producer of the Joy of Jazz Mantwa Chinoamadi told The Citizen.
🎷🎶Meet the first wave of artists redefining the MUSIC! Experience the brilliance of esperanza spalding, Siya Makuzeni, Thandi Ntuli, Gabi Motuba & José James sings Badu.
— Standard Bank Joy Of Jazz (@JoyOfJazz) March 7, 2025
🎟️ Tickets: https://t.co/2xEUX0J65M#TakeMeThere #StandardBankJoyOfJazz #IheARTJazz pic.twitter.com/q3dlOe07Lw
“After every Joy of Jazz festival taking in September, we take an October-November break, to write reports and in December we are out with new ideas for the following festival.
The festival marks 26 years this year.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival recently shared their line-up, which will see Grammy Award winning Black Coffee and world renowned pianist Nduduzo Makhathini collaborate.
Hip hop festival founder Osmic Menoe recently shared a post that he and his team have begun preparing for this year’s edition, with tickets already on sale.
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Festivals’ impact on economy
Last year the federation representing Britain’s live music industry, Live, revealed that the sector’s contribution to the UK economy topped £6bn for the first time.
According to British publication The Guardian, the large figure, which adds up the economic impact of more than 55 000 gigs, concerts, festivals and events, is 17% up on 2022 and 35% up on pre-pandemic 2019.
The report also estimated that the live music industry supported jobs for almost 230 000 people last year, an increase of 9.4% since 2019.
The report by Live also highlighted the closure of 125 grassroots music venues and the cancellation of 36 festivals in 2023.
Live’s chief executive Jon Collins has called on government to support these festival through a temporary cut to the 20% VAT on tickets which he said was “damaging and uncompetitive compared to other European markets”.
“We had some of the biggest names in music sell out tours and festivals across the UK. But we also saw pressure build up across our industry, leading to grassroots music venues and festivals left with no choice but to close down in the face of rising costs.”
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