AUSTRALASIA
by Christie Eliezer
AUSTRALIA
Harvest Rock Returns After Year Off
Axed last year amidst rumours it was not returning, Harvest Rock is back in spring.
Live Nation and subsidiaries Secret Sounds and Kick Entertainment are staging at its home at Adelaide’s Rymill (Murlawirrapurka) and King Rodney (Ityamai-Itpina) parks Oct. 25 and 26.
It was first staged 2022 and 2023 as a partnership between Secret Sounds and the South Australian Tourism Commission.
It combined music acts as Jack White, Crowded House, Jamiroquai, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Paul Kelly, Groove Armada, Sam Fender, Ocean Alley and Tash Sultana with products from local chefs and wine makers.
Visitors were encouraged to also partake in wine tours, gallery visits and dine at top restaurants.
The two events drew 25,000 each, and contributed A$34.5 million ($22.3 million) to South Australia’s economy and brand it as a holiday destination.
It was canceled ahead of a third year, apparently because of a lack of an exclusive headliner.
The 2025 lineup drops August 12 with festival director Ryan Sabet promising to “deliver global stadium-sized artists to South Australia, while also championing the region’s world-class food, wine and culture for interstate guests.”
Tomorrowland Eyes Aussie Debut
Belgium’s massive EDM festival Tomorrowland clarified reports about its making an Australian debut next year.
An installation on the site marking locations included a message Melbourne November 2026.
But a rep explained it was eying “possibilities” of the jungle-themed CORE stage, not the entire festival.
The stage, marketed as “nature meets beats”, complements house and techno with geysers, firework fountains, moving lights and LED flares.
This year the Belgium event showcased Australian acts Fisher and Nervo.
Untitled, Ticketmaster, Finalise Multi-Year Deal
Leading independent promoter Untitled Group celebrated its 10th anniversary with a multi-year partnership with Ticketmaster for its uncontracted venues and greenfield sites.
One of its divisions Moshtix will handle ticketing for Wildlands festival, which draws 25,000 dance, hip hop and pop fans a year.
Beyond The Valley (35,000) and Pitch Music & Arts (18,000) remain ticketed by Megatix.
Chugg Music Signs Netflix-Formed Band
Michael Chugg and Andrew Stone’s Chugg Music inked a major management and label deal with Midnight Til Morning, a band formed on Netflix global reality series “Building The Band.”
The last project of late One Direction member Liam Payne, the act’s members are from Australia and the United States.
NEW ZEALAND
Live Nation Acquires Promoter Team Event
Live Nation Australia and New Zealand extended its New Zealand portfolio with the acquisition of Callam Mitchell’s Christchurch-based Team Event.
Its events include ten year old Electric Avenue, NZ’s largest two-day festival with a draw of 40,000 each day, Live In The Park and Nostalgia as well as food and beverage events.
LN NZ managing director Mark Kneebone, said, “Electric Avenue is a testament to what local grit and vision can create – a world-class live music experience.”
Mitchell looked forward to growing Electric Avenue with greater access to international acts and expertise.
“The past 15 years of building this business has been a journey of blood, sweat and tears but a journey we’re incredibly proud of, and this acquisition is a recognition of that.”
Other NZ festivals owned by LN include Gisborne’s Rhythm & Vines which last year had 18,000 punters and the multi-city Greenstone Summer Concert Tour with a total 40,000.
ASIA
by Phil Brasor
KOREA
Pentaport Wows
According to the Korea Times, the 20th Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, which took place the weekend of August 1-3 at the Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in Incheon, South Korea, was a rousing success, with almost full attendance and a number of new features that prove it has become one of Asia’s major summer music festivals. Over the years, the festival has had various problems, organizational and otherwise, that have prevented it from even taking place some years.
Foreign acts included Pulp, making their first-ever appearance in Korea, Beck, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and Little Simz. Beabadoobee and Deafheaven were initially announced for the festival but cancelled some weeks ago. There were 58 acts in all.
Among the new features were the distribution of free water bottles as well as free water refill stations throughout the festival grounds. There were also “cooling tents” that allowed festivalgoers to get out of the sun for a little while, and many well-stocked medical stations. One of the sponsors was the British cosmetics retailer Lush, which provided scents that, according to the Times, even made the portable rest rooms smell sweet. Festivalgoers were also quite positive about the selection of vendors. One told the newspaper, “I’ve been coming to Pentaport for years, and this time I really noticed how much the facilities have improved. Food and beverage stalls, rest rooms—everything felt more organized.” In the past, food stalls often sold out of product early during the weekend.
Another change was the diversity of the crowd this year. Usually, Pentaport attracts diehard rock fans, but this time there were many people who seemed on hand more for the experience than for the music. Longtime Pentaport fans say this trend has been increasing since the pandemic, though as one of these fans noted, “some of the mosh pits were a little chaotic this year” owing to newcomers unversed in mosh pit etiquette.
Pentaport is hosted by the Incheon Metropolitan Government and co-organized by the Incheon Tourism Organization and Gyeonggi Ilbo, a news media outlet.
JAPAN
Mrs. Green Apple Draws Noise Complaints From Far Away
Mrs. Green Apple, one of the hottest pop-rock bands in Japan right now, played two outdoor concerts on July 26 and 27 on a pier at Yokohama harbor. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the city of Yokohama received about 50 noise complaints, but they were from residents of the city of Kawasaki, which is 15 kilometers away.
The band issued an apology and said that their audio engineers had been very careful when they did a sound check. However, meteorologists think that the atmospherics changed after the band took the stage, with winds and drafts carrying the sound farther than it normally would. In this instance, they say, the sound traveled up and then down into the city of Kawasaki, moving in an arc shape rather than a straight line. That’s why there were no complaints from residents in Yokohama.
THAILAND
Tomorrowland Inks Deal
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved a five-year agreement to host the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival from 2026 to 2030 in Thailand. Asia News Network reports that Thailand’s Tourism Authority will be the lead organization responsible for coordinating the festival with Tomorrowland International and its local joint venture, We Are One World (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
The Cabinet estimates that the festival will draw more than 922,000 people over the five years it takes place, with 369,000 being locals and more than 500,000 coming from abroad. This will mean an infusion of 12 billion baht ($372 million) into the Thai economy, thus achieving the government’s goal of making the country the “festival hub of Asia.”
The idea of bringing Tomorrowland to Thailand on a continuing basis was first raised in 2015, but plans were derailed by the COVID pandemic. It has now been put in place under the current government’s “renewed focus on tourism promotion,” according to ANN.
