Peter Noble

The director allegedly took hundreds of thousands of dollars out of his companies to pay himself prior to the collapse of the Australian festival.

Liquidators handling the collapse of Bluesfest have reportedly flagged investigations into the festival’s finances and director Peter Noble.

Bluesfest director Peter Noble avoided answering questions when asked about the collapse of his music festival.

A former Bluesfest executive has pointed to long-term financial and structural pressures as key drivers behind the festival’s cancellation.

Several artists from the cancelled Bluesfest 2026 lineup have confirmed they will still tour Australia and New Zealand.

One of Australia’s biggest festivals looks to be the latest casualty of the live industry downturn, with Bluesfest called off.

Safework NSW has confirmed it has completed enquiries into concerns raised from last month's Bluesfest in a new statement.

"Certain things are going to have to happen now for it to move into the next decade,” Peter Noble tells TMN.

“We’ve had the highest attendance of any Australian festival since pre-COVID at 109,000 attendances - the third-biggest event we've done".

Though the 2025 event was said to be the final edition, the Byron Bay spectacle will return in 2026, organisers have announced.