Bluesfest director Peter Noble claims the federal government would have “found money” had it been a football club struggling rather than a music festival after news that next year’s iconic event will be the last. Mr Noble confirmed the 2025 festival would be the last of Bluesfest after 36 years, claiming he just “can’t fight the economy” anymore as the festival has long been lobbying for government funding. The arts sector is being treated as “dispensable”, according to Mr Noble, who claimed if Bluesfest were a football club, the government would have stepped in.
“Hopefully, (the government) will see the light of day and give us a reprieve, but if not I’m not prepared to do anything other than what’s been regarded as one of the world’s greatest festivals,” he said. “In the end, I bet if we were an Aussie rules club ..
. they would’ve found money. “Are the arts really that much of a thing you can just chuck in the bin and forget about? Do they really think another Bluesfest will just pop up from somewhere? It’s not going to work like that.
” The federal government in February teamed up with Rugby Australia in a $14m deal with the Australian-Pacific Rugby Union Partnership to support high-performance rugby union and previously announced $240m in funding for a Hobart stadium, paving the way for the AFL’s first Tasmanian team. However, the stadium could also host live music events, and the Albanese government has pumped $8.6m into the Revive Li.