The future appears bleak for Esoteric Festival, which has entered into voluntary administration following an unfortunate deadlock with authorities.
“This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write,” explains festival co-founder and Sam Goldsmith in an open letter.
The annual event, he continues, has ceased trading after entering voluntary administration with effect from June 11th 2025.
It’s a harsh end for the beloved fest, which was forced to its cancel its 2025 edition at the eleventh hour, when Buloke Shire Council refused to issue the required Place of Public Entertainment Occupancy Permit.
“Without that permit,” Goldsmith writes, “we simply had no legal way forward to deliver the festival this year.”
More than 7,000 partygoers were expected to visit the festival site this year, in Donald, Victoria, for what would have been its eighth edition.
Tickets, organisers said before showtime, were nearly sold out.
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The development comes at a particularly rough time for the local festival scene. Earlier this year, Souled Out cancelled its entire 2025 run just days out from the events, while major events such as Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo will also not be going ahead this year.
Goldsmith remains optimistic that the Esoteric party will go on.
“But this isn’t the end,” he insists. “I haven’t stopped working every single day trying to find a way to resurrect this. To breathe life back into what we built. Its a moment to pause, reflect, and reimagine what Esoteric can become. From the ashes of difficulty often rise the seeds of transformation and I believe, with everything I have left, that this is not a death, but the beginning of a potential rebirth. Whether through restructure, renewal, or something entirely new, the spirit of Esoteric will live on in you, in me, and in whatever form the next chapter may take.”
Read Goldsmith’s letter in full below:
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Co-Founder & Director of Esoteric Festival
To our beloved Esoteric family,
This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write.
As many of you may have heard, Esoteric Festival Pty Ltd has entered Voluntary
Administration as of 11 June 2025. This follows the cancellation of our 2025 event after Buloke Shire Council declined to issue the required Place of Public Entertainment Occupancy Permit.
Without that permit, we simply had no legal way forward to deliver the festival this year.
With a heavy heart, I must also let you know that the company has now ceased trading.
Worrells has been appointed as the independent Administrator to assess the company’s financial position and determine the best path forward. This includes speaking with any parties interested in making a proposal to restructure or acquire the business and/or assets.
Here is the FAQ with more details on what happens next especially for ticket holders: And further updates will be posted here:
That’s the official part. But I need to speak to you from a raw, honest place not just as a co-founder, but as a human being.
Esoteric wasn’t just a festival. It was a vision, a lifestyle, a family a soul project built from the ground up. Over the past decade, I poured my heart, energy, sanity, money, and time into it. I did it because I believed in something bigger than us all a space where people could truly be themselves, connect deeply, and feel free.
But I didn’t do it alone.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to my co-founder Lucas, and to the partners who stood beside us on this journey. These were the people who sacrificed sleep, sanity, weekends, holidays everything to bring this dream to life, year after year. Through chaos and celebration, growth and grief, they gave it absolutely everything. Ill never forget that, and I’ll never stop being thankful for their belief and commitment.
Esoteric was also a family project in the truest sense.
My own family didn’t just support me they helped shape the very landscape of the festival. They planted the forest where Esoteric thrived. Every tree, every shaded grove you danced beneath was part of a living gift. In recent years, they planted over 10,000 more trees on that same land not for recognition, not for gain, but so that you would one day walk through even more beauty.
They shared this dream with their whole hearts.
And to the town of Donald I don’t have enough words.
Over the years, the local support I’ve received has been nothing short of incredible. So many of you backed us, encouraged us, pitched in, and embraced the dream even when it looked unconventional. Whether it was helping with infrastructure, sharing your knowledge, cheering us on, or just having a yarn at the pub you made us feel like this was more than a festival. You made it feel like home. Ill always be proud to come from here, and to have shared this with you.
We created something rare: a place where misfits, artists, thinkers, and dreamers could gather and feel whole. We brought life to a dusty corner of earth and turned it into a pulsing, creative sanctuary. That cant be undone.
But the truth is love and vision weren’t enough. Behind every moment of magic was a mountain of challenges permits, politics, financial risks, and relentless pressure. I made mistakes. I stretched myself too far. We all did. But every step, every sacrifice, was made in service to the vision.
To every dancer, artist, crew member, volunteer, performer, local legend, and ticket holder thank you. You are Esoteric. You made it real.
This hurts. More than I can explain. But this isn’t the end.
I haven’t stopped working every single day trying to find a way to resurrect this. To breathe life back into what we built. Its a moment to pause, reflect, and reimagine what Esoteric can become. From the ashes of difficulty often rise the seeds of transformation and I believe, with everything I have left, that this is not a death, but the beginning of a potential rebirth. Whether through restructure, renewal, or something entirely new, the spirit of Esoteric will live on in you, in me, and in whatever form the next chapter may take.
I’m sorry. I’m proud. And I love you all.
With all my heart,
Sam Goldsmith
Co-Founder, Esoteric Festival
