With heavy heart, the Byron Bay Arts Crew has announced the Byron Bay Arts and Music Festival will not be happening this summer. However, a new festival in Brisbane, Sunset Sounds, will soften the blow.

A statement from the organisers reads: “The [Byron Bay] festival, which originally ran from ‘94 to ‘96 and was organised by a collective of local arts & music enthusiasts, was due to be resurrected next January but hit regulatory hurdles. Despite securing a fantastic line-up; overwhelming support amongst the Byron Bay community; and positive early indications from the local council, the organiser’s self-imposed deadline for obtaining final approvals for the venue expired last week.”

That amazing line-up, however, is not going to waste. Presented by the Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds is a two-day extravaganza at Brisbane Botanical Gardens and Riverstage. Over back-to-back balmy nights (Wed 7 and Thurs 8 January), The Hives, The Cat Empire, The Kooks, Franz Ferdinand, Santogold and a whole host more will bring the summer vibes.

Full line-ups for Brisbane Botanical Gardens and Riverstage:

Wednesday 7 January

THE HIVES
THE CAT EMPIRE
THE KOOKS
TEGAN AND SARA
SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
GOMEZ
SOKO
YVES KLEIN BLUE

Thursday 8 January

FRANZ FERDINAND
THE GRATES
SANTOGOLD (USA)
DONAVON FRANKENREITER (USA)
ASH GRUNWALD
CW STONEKING
I HEART HIROSHIMA

First release tickets on sale Friday 3rd October.