Parkway Drive Cancels Participation in Australian Festival Park Waves for 2026

Parkway Drives inaugural touring festival in Australia, the Park Waves Festival, has been officially cancelled. The organisers, Destroy All Lines, announced the decision on social media, explaining that ticket sales and overall feasibility no longer add up.

We are heartbroken to confirm that the Park Waves Festival Australian tour will not proceed, the statement read. The cancellation is due to a combination of factors, and ultimately, the numbers dont support moving forward. Despite our best efforts, we have had to make this very difficult choice. We are truly gutted.

The festival was originally scheduled for February and March 2026, with planned stops in Perth, Adelaide, Geelong, Scoresby, Bendigo, Wollongong, Sydney, Maitland, Toowoomba, Byron Bay, and Sandstone Point. Ticket holders will receive automatic refunds, and organisers will provide further details via email.

Parkway Drive also addressed the cancellation on their own platforms, describing it as a real blow, and highlighting the growing challenges for large-scale touring events in Australia. Another festival falls victim to the rising costs across the entertainment industry, the band stated. Its painful to be part of this chapter in the Australian music scene. We explored every possible option to make this happen, but the circumstances wouldnt allow it.

The Park Waves concept originally began in Germany in 2024, with Parkway Drive headlining alongside Fit for a King and Australian heavyweights Thy Art Is Murder. The Australian edition was intended to replicate that success and bring the festival experience to regional areas often overlooked by arena tours. Vocalist Winston McCall told Rolling Stone AU/NZ that the project had been in development for several years, emphasizing the importance of reaching smaller communities: Being able to take it regional is really important. This is the first Byron Bay show weve played in 12 years Without entertainment centres, venues are limited, and thousands of fans miss out.

The cancellation comes after a notable period for Parkway Drive, who performed a critically acclaimed show at the Sydney Opera House in 2023 and released Sacred, their first new single since Darker Still in 2022. Park Waves was expected to be their flagship domestic tour for 2026.

Destroy All Lines concluded their announcement by expressing gratitude to fans for purchasing tickets and continuing to support live music in Australia during a challenging time for both promoters and artists.

Author: Sophia Brooks