SA’s Gorgeous Festival scrapped for 2015

The organisers of South Australia’s Gorgeous Festival, scrapped Tuesday, say that 80% fewer tickets had been sold than this time last year as there were too many events in the state and Adelaide around that time.

There were plans to scale it back. But going ahead with the November 27-28 event at Penny’s Hill Winery would have lead to more financial losses.

Gorgeous was set up in 2011 in the McLaren Vale region by former music manager and Fuse Conference GM Alistair Cranney and wife Sally to showcase local wines and foods with music. In past years attendances were as high as 4,000 per day.

This year’s event was to have been headlined by Kate Miller-Heidke, with other acts including Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Falls, Dylan Joel and Montaigne.

The Cranneys also got six top SA chefs to prepare a Gorgeous Table Dinner for attendees.

It would also have incorporated the first Gorgeous Table dinner – a feast created by six top South Australian chefs

The full statement from Sally and Alistair Cranney is below:

“It is with heavy hearts that we must announce the cancellation of Gorgeous Festival 2015. While it is still a month until the planned festival date, early ticket sales were not of a level sufficient to finance the Festival we aspired to. While we investigated the feasibility of scaling things back we did not want to hold something unworthy of the name Gorgeous Festival.

“Full refunds to all ticket holders will be forthcoming. Funds are presently tied up within the festival company with deposits and so forth and can be released back once the planned festival date has passed, so at the latest refunds will be made in the first week of December. We really would appreciate your support in being patient so everyone can get their refund.

“Thank you for your support of Gorgeous Festival, and we hope for more Gorgeous times ahead.”