Coastal Jam music festival cancelled days before Lime Cordiale set to play at Mornington Peninsula event

An Australian music festival has been forced to cancel its 2024 event just days before it was due to start.

Coastal Jam was set to welcome thousands of punters to the Mornington Peninsula on Saturday, with headliners Lime Cordiale gearing up to take to the stage.

However, organisers said a lack of ticket sales, they believe attributed to the rising cost of living, forced them to pull the plug.

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Founder Adam Metwally said the decision had “not been made lightly” but was necessary.

“I did everything I could to keep ticket prices as low as possible, while also trying to put together a solid lineup with the Coastal Jam ethos in mind — to bring world-class, fun, lighthearted parties to locations across the beautiful Victorian coast over summer,” he said.

“But it wasn’t enough.”

Metwally said running a “pop-up music festival” was “very expensive” — something that was only exacerbated during a cost-of-living crisis.

Going ahead with the festival without selling enough tickets could have resulted in a “catastrophic loss that could ruin everything”, he added.

“I’ve tried everything I could think of to steer the ship back in the right direction, and I have to make the call, but nothing I have come up with has worked,” he said.

“I’m sorry for letting people down.”

The beachside festival, which launched in 2017, has brought acts such as Hockey Dad, Touch Sensitive and Ziggy Alberts to events at Geelong, Lorne and Torquay.

Saturday’s festival lineup included Australian alt-rock bands DICE and Mathilde Anne and DJ and producer Ben Gerrans.

New York dance producer Austin Millz, Los Angeles rapper and singer Bryce Vine and California surf rockers Sun Room were also due to appear.

Ticket holders can apply for a partial refund, keep their ticket as a credit for future events, or receive a full refund.