Laneway Takes The High Road

Perth has been left off the festival’s 2027 route, raising concerns about the dwindling festival scene in Australia’s west coast.

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has released a statement confirming it will skip Perth and Adelaide in 2027, limiting shows to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne before finishing in Auckland. The decision marks an end in a lengthy streak for Perthites who have attended the festival every year since 2009 (excluding COVID).

Organisers of the event announced the decision over social media telling both Perth and Adelaide fans that Laneway would be ‘taking a break’ in both cities, stating that the sheer distance involved had become increasingly difficult for artists and event staff. “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 lineup and crew’, Laneway said in its announcement.

The organisers assured Perth and Adelaide fans this was only a break and not goodbye, however still, for WA music lovers “see you soon” offers limited comfort.

Perth’s geographical isolation has long made it an expensive and complicated stop on Australian touring routes with artists, production equipment and crews needing to travel thousands of kilometres west before often making the same journey back east.

Laneway is not alone in reconsidering whether that journey stacks up fundamentally. Earlier this year, heavy music festival Froth and Fury announced it would not return to Perth in 2027 following its first WA event. Organisers blamed rising costs and turnout numbers for the decision.

Western Australian’s are feeling the heat from all angles watching the local festival calendar slowly shrink, with president and chief executive of TEG Dainty, one of Australia’s major live entertainment promoters; Paul Dainty pointing out to The Music that Australia was “fast turning into just an East Coast tour run”.

Festivals have traditionally offered people of all ages a reasonably affordable way to see multiple artists at once, discover new music and take part in a shared social experience. With balancing rent, transport and everyday living costs, travelling interstate just to attend the same festivals available to eastern state audiences is simply not realistic.

Making Laneways decision to snub the state particularly disappointing.

Perth audiences are already used to seeing their name left off of tour posters with a focus on Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Losing Laneway adds to the growing heartbreak of being a music fan in Perth.

The announcement also comes at a time when Australia’s wider festival scene has become noticeably more fragile. Events have been cancelled, scaled back or removed entirely, leaving audiences with fewer opportunities to experience large scale live music.

No longer seeing festivals as a regular part of summer is a change hard to ignore.

Social media responses following Lanway’s announcement ranged from disappointment to anger, with some fans questioning why Auckland remains part of the tour while Perth is deemed to difficult logistically. Others argues that WA audiences already miss enough national tours without losing one of the country’s most established festivals as well.

The timing may sting even more following on of Laneway’s biggest years yet. Its 2026 festival was headlined by Chappell Roan alongside artists including Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, PinkPantheress and Role Model. While industry reporting says the festival attracted record attendance nationally.

For now, Perth is left waiting to see whether Laneway’s break really is temporary or another blow to the rapidly declining festival scene.