The festival has attributed the cancellation to its Australian collaborator, Primuse Entertainment. In response, Primuse defended its actions, stating it stands by “the manner in which we have conducted ourselves throughout this process.”

Rolling Loud conveyed the news of the cancellation through a social media announcement this afternoon.

“We’re genuinely disappointed to announce that Rolling Loud Australia 2026, set to take place in Sydney and Melbourne, will not proceed,” the festival stated.

“Regrettably, our local partner, Primuse Entertainment, did not meet crucial deadlines and obligations,” it continued.

“The persistent delays left us without the necessary assurances to finalize the event,” the statement added.

“We refuse to compromise the safety or the experience of our fans, artists, and vendors,” the festival emphasized.

Rolling Loud has said it will be issuing refunds to all ticket purchasers.

Primuse said in a statement tonight it was “extremely disappointed by the cancellation”

“Primuse Entertainment does not accept certain aspects of the characterisation set out in Rolling Loud’s statement. While there are differing views regarding the circumstances that led to this outcome, we stand firmly by the manner in which we have conducted ourselves throughout this process,” a spokesperson said.

“Primuse acted in good faith throughout and made reasonable efforts to deliver a successful event for fans, artists and partners, with the intention of ensuring the festival could proceed as planned. Our immediate focus is on supporting ticket holders and working closely with the relevant parties to ensure refunds are processed as efficiently as possible.

“We remain committed to the Australian live entertainment market and to delivering high-quality experiences for audiences in the future.

“Given the circumstances, we will not be making any further public comment at this time.”

The festival was set to take place on March 7 at Sydney’s Centennial Park and March 8 at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse.

The last time the festival came to Australia was in 2019.

The two headliners, hip-hop artists Gunna and Ken Carson, were announced as exclusive artists at the festival, with no other Australian shows except for their appearance at the festival next weekend.

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