All ticketholders have been promised a refund, and a post says inner city live music haunt Paisley Stage has \u201cput their hands up to host a bunch of the artists\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know times are tough right now,\u201d the post said. \u201cThe cost of living is affecting everyone, and spending on events isn\u2019t always at the top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event was to have been headlined with a DJ set by Kiwi electronic artist Sola Rosa, and other acts listed were Yurt Party, Tropical Downbeat Orchestra, Bitta Batta, Mon Shelford and Hawke\u2019s Bay\u2019s own Yes Yes No.<\/p>\n
Tropical Downbeat Orchestra, Yes Yes No and Mon Shelford are now booked for Paisley Stage on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Event promoter Beth Elstone said purchasing trends for events had changed dramatically since the Covid years. <\/p>\n
\u201cPostponements and cancellations have become more common, the confidence to book tickets early has decreased, and there\u2019s a growing uncertainty out there for attendees,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you couple that with the economic crisis and more and more people living week to week, it\u2019s the perfect storm that keeps feeding the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe risk becomes much greater for anyone taking a punt putting events on.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said supporting \u201clocal homegrown events\u201d helps create space and opportunity for audiences and artists<\/p>\n
\u201cPlus, it\u2019s fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s \u201cback to the drawing board\u201d to see what changes could see it \u201cback on the street\u201d next year \u2013 maybe avoiding the Christmas rush, she said.<\/p>\n
Napier City Council event manager and Hawke\u2019s Bay Music Hub founder Kevin Murphy said the festival\u2019s downfall was a warning to eventgoers of the perils of not getting in early.<\/p>\n
The council supported the Collins St Festival, but Murphy said a tendency for those going to such smaller community events to leave booking to the last minute was putting the events at risk.<\/p>\n
Promoters need to have the certainty they can go ahead, and he said: \u201cIf we don\u2019t get people into the habit of booking early, then they\u2019ll find more and more are being cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n