It’s an event which, annually, has drawn lovers of the Great Outdoors to a location in Victoria’s Buloke Shire.

From within the State, and from far beyond, they have travelled to enjoy the music and mateship of Donald’s Esoteric Festival.

Among them, for instance, were a young man from Holland, and his German companion, both of whom, with hundreds of others, should have been soaking up the perfect weather of Friday morning, scheduled as the Festival’s second day.

Instead, they were walking the streets of the town, prior to leaving to return home without having as much as set foot on their Victorian countryside destination.

Far be it from The [Buloke] Times to pass judgement on the pros and cons of the decision to cancel the Festival just as the crowds were beginning to arrive.

Recently we published explanations given by the Buloke Shire Council as to why the annual event was called off, then back on, and then off again.

Whilst the disappointment of those directly affected has already been expressed countless times by word of mouth and social media, who could possibly have been more greatly disadvantaged than those responsible for the organisation and presentation of one of country Victoria’s biggest outdoor events?

On their behalf, The [Buloke] Times records the following messages released by the Esoteric Festival’s management.

*Background as on the Esoteric Facebook Page

All structures have been approved by licenced engineers and verified by independent and licenced building surveyors. Today Worksafe and Energy Safe Victoria deemed the site safe and the festival organisers have been working closely with the relevant authorities including the EPA, Health Department, Ambulance Victoria, CFA and Victoria Police, who have all consented for the event to go ahead.

Buloke Shire Councillors voted in favour of granting a Permit on Monday with the fate of the festival resting on one person – the Municipal Building Surveyor – who has not completed a site inspection since 2024.

Whether it’s Esoteric Musical Festival or Moomba, it is standard practice in the event industry for this particular permit to get approved in the hours before the event given the tight timelines to get the right infrastructure in place.

We have held urgent meetings with the Premier of Victoria and the Minister for Housing and tried everything to get this year’s event over the line and we are just completely shattered that this has come down to one person’s subjective decision.

A statement from Esoteric Music Festival Managing Director Sam Goldsmith:

We are utterly devastated to announce that Donald’s Esoteric Music Festival will not be going ahead this weekend.

To say we are disappointed is an understatement – we are gutted. This is a devastating blow for all involved – from our patrons to the local businesses that have been planning for this all year.

It is bureaucracy and politics gone mad.

Despite overwhelming evidence that the Esoteric Music Festival is safe and compliant to run, we have been left stunned by the decision of the Municipal Building Surveyor not to grant a POPE permit and will now have to postpone the festival until 2026.

Since 2017 this event has been a lifeline for Victoria’s regional tourism and live music scene, injecting more than $15 million into the local economy and supporting thousands of jobs in the Wimmera Mallee region.

We implore all of our patrons, please hold on to your ticket for next year so that we can continue running this event and supporting Victoria’s north-west region as we have for the past eight years and will come back even stronger in 2026.

Ticket holders will be communicated to directly about the postponement of the festival and offered a full refund if they can’t make the next event.

Related stories: Campers everywhere – except at festival site; Festival forges ahead; Festival application refused.
See more on the festival in the issue.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 12 March 2025.