Byron Bay music festival Bluesfest has entered liquidation and organisers have axed the event weeks ahead of its scheduled run due to poor ticket sales. Headliners for the five-day event from April 2 to April 5 were to include Split Enz, Earth, Wind and Fire, Sublime, 19-Twenty, The Wailers and Erykah Badu. Organisers confirmed the event’s cancellation in a statement on the festival’s website on Friday afternoon. “After 36 years as Australia’s most awarded festival, Bluesfest has made the difficult decision not to proceed with the 2026 event. We are proud of what we have achieved – the music, our artists, the busking competition, our staff, our community, and everyone who has been part of the Bluesfest journey,” they said. “Rising production, logistics, insurance and touring costs, together with a more challenging environment for major live events, mean it is not possible to deliver the festival to the standard audiences, artists and partners expect.…