Falls Festival Lorne survives despite Marion Bay cancellation

FALLS Festival Lorne is still set to run despite event organisers Secret Sounds having cancelled Falls Festival Marion Bay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The day the announcement was made, Victoria recorded 270 new coronavirus cases, while Tasmania marked their 59th consecutive day without a confirmed case.

However, a large portion of Falls Festival Marion Bay visitors tend to be interstate, and festival organisers subsequently explained in a statement the decision was made to ensure the event’s financial viability.

“Like most industries, we must adjust our business operations to allow us the best opportunity for long-term viability.

“To be clear this is not a goodbye, more a ‘see you soon’ to Tasmania. Confirming we are planning to operate Falls Festival Dec 20/Jan 21 in NSW, VIC and WA and remain hopeful that we will be in a position to come back to Marion Bay in the future.”

The future of Falls Festival in Lorne has been the matter of debate for some time.

It was cancelled in its second day in 2019 due to extreme weather, having also been relocated in 2015 due to bushfires in the region.

Following Falls Festival Lorne’s 2019 cancellation, Secret Sounds held a survey for festival-goers to see if they would support the festival’s relocation but eventually announced the 2020-21 festival would remain in Lorne.

In May, Secret Sounds announced that due to the coronavirus, Falls Festival would feature an All-Australian line-up due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.