One of Australia’s most beloved and long-running indie-pop music festivals, Laneway Festival, has announced sweeping changes to its 2027 national schedule that will see the event take a one-year hiatus from two of its longest-standing host cities: Adelaide and Perth. The pause marks the first time the festival will skip the two markets outside of the global COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period, breaking a 19-year annual streak in Perth that dates back to 2009, and a 19-year run in Adelaide stretching back to 2008. Organisers made the announcement official via a public post on the festival’s Instagram channel on Monday morning, moving quickly to address growing fan speculation and reassure attendees that the break is not permanent.
In the statement, organisers acknowledged the news would come as a disappointment to loyal local audiences. “To our Adelaide and Perth friends, we know this will be disappointing. In 2027, Laneway will be taking a break in your cities,” the post read. The festival team went on to reflect on its 20-plus year history of bringing independent music to audiences across Australia, New Zealand, and even international stops including Singapore and Detroit. “Running so many shows, so close together, across so much ground is a logistical feat we are proud of, but it also asks a lot of our line-up and crew,” the statement explained.
Organisers emphasized that the planned pause serves two key purposes: it will allow the team to refine the overall festival experience to deliver the highest quality event for attendees across all stops, and it will open up touring gaps that let more performing artists book standalone headline shows in cities that are typically only included on the festival’s annual route. The statement closed with a note of gratitude to local fans: “Adelaide and Perth, we love you! We are incredibly grateful to every single person who has shown up for us over the years,” adding “this isn’t goodbye, just see you soon” to reinforce that the hiatus is temporary.
Alongside the hiatus announcement, organisers confirmed a change of location for the festival’s Queensland stop. After being hosted on the Gold Coast in recent cycles, the 2027 Queensland Laneway show will return to its previous home in Brisbane. As of the announcement date, the full 2027 festival line-up of performing artists has not yet been revealed to the public.