Overview

• Bluesfest 2025 saw 109,000 attendees, marking its third-largest crowd in the festival's 35-year history.
• Despite marketing 2025 as the 'last ever' Bluesfest, organizers have confirmed the event will return in 2026.
• Festival director Peter Noble admitted using the 'final event' narrative as a strategy to boost ticket sales, which reached 97% pre-sales before gates opened.
• The NSW government allocated up to $500,000 in emergency funding to Bluesfest as part of a broader $2.25 million support package for music festivals.
• Byron Shire Council is working with organizers to address transport, parking, and crowd management issues reported during the 2025 event.