The Homebake festival has been cancelled a month and a half out from celebrating its 18th birthday.
The three-day festival, that was to be held over December 6-8, had announced a month earlier an all-Australian lineup featuring Birds Of Tokyo, Paul Kelly and The Presets and had secured a move usual home at Sydney’s Domain to the “intimate harbour side forecourt” of the Sydney Opera House steps.
Another now cancelled Aussie festival may have played a part in Homebake’s downfall. Organisers say the move to the Opera House steps was made out of necessity. Instead of a one-day event at Domain, Homebake was forced to find an alternative location and likely made to spread the event out over three days to meet the needs of the Opera House booking.
“For reasons beyond our control or desire, and after a 15 year run, we were advised that for this year, the Domain had also confirmed another music festival that appealed to a similar audience and scheduled to run a mere 2 weeks before our proposed Homebake date,” the festival said in a statement, likely referring to AJ Maddah’s Harvest festival.
“Because of the commercial implications and risk of being one of two music festivals in the Domain two weeks apart, reluctantly our hand was forced to reconfigure and relocate Homebake from the usual one day event in the Domain to the Sydney Opera House over three days.”
“Over the last 4 weeks since the initial launch of Homebake 2013, it has become apparent based on the feedback from social media sites and the box office that the traditional Homebake fans have rejected this change in format from one day to three nights and the change in venue.”
“What is achingly ironic is the reason that forced the change in venue [and with it the format] cancelled shortly before Homebake 2013’s launch, but by then it was simply too late to revert back to our true home. All in all, heartbreaking stuff…”
Homebake ticket holders can collect refunds from OxTix or the Sydney Opera House.
The Homebake cancellation is the latest in a string of 2013 festival fadeouts- Big Day Out recently dropped its second Sydney date before both Harvest and Pyramid Rock were shut down while Australia’s hip-hop community were starved of major festivals Supafest, Rap City and The Movement.
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