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The Byron Bay property that was home to Australia’s largest winter music festival, Splendour in the Grass, has been placed on the market by its long-time owners following the shock cancellation of the event last year after a 23-year run in the region.
The sale of the 229ha freehold property may signal the death knell for Splendour in the Grass, which last year was to be headlined by Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue.
The event, which attracted about 50,000 people a year to the northern NSW coastal township, was among many major music festivals cancelled in recent years due to the ongoing costs of staging major events in Australia.
Savills Australia and New Zealand has been appointed to sell the former Splendour site by its owners which comprises a “conglomerate” of investors including Byron Bay entrepreneur and passionate local Brandon Saul who heads Creative Capital and the Mixed Media Group.
The Splendour in the Grass venue, which is commonly known as North Byron Parklands, was acquired by the syndicate of investors in September 2006.
Savills says the site, located at 126 Tweed Valley Way in Wooyung, is “primed for repurposing, offering unparalleled potential for developers, investors, and visionaries alike”.
“This is an extraordinary offering in a region synonymous with luxury, wellness and exclusivity,” says Leon Alaban, head of hotels at Savills Australia and New Zealand.
“The opportunity to own such a vast and strategic landholding in Byron Shire is incredibly rare, making this a once-in-a-generation investment.
“And with Byron attracting record prices across all asset classes, we expect this exceptional opportunity will demand buyer interest to draw parallels to recent records within the region.”
The property is serviced by power and water, and has an internal road network, while also carrying development approval for event and hospitality facilities.
“With extensive approvals in place, North Byron Parklands is a blank canvas ready to be transformed,” says Selin Ince, senior executive for hotels at Savills Australia and New Zealand.
“From ultra-luxury private estates and wellness retreat to boutique eco-developments and exclusive events venues, the potential here is limitless.”
The site’s current zoning allows for luxury rural residential lots, wellness retreats, eco-tourism, equestrian estates and exclusive event venues.
Savills also points out that North Byron Parklands is more than “just a parcel of land”.
“With encompassing rolling meadows, lush forests, and a serene central lake, the estate provides an extraordinary setting for those seeking to establish a legacy project in an area celebrated for its world-class luxury accommodations, premium wellness retreats, and celebrity appeal,” the agency says.
The site is being offered to the market via an international expressions of interest campaign that will close on 30 April 2025.
The cancellation of Splendour in the Grass last year came just a week after promoter Secret Sounds officially released tickets for the event that was to be held on the weekend of 19-21 July.
The cancellation followed the abandonment earlier in the year of the Groovin' The Moo festivals scheduled for regional Australia in 2024 and the cancellation of the Falls Festival, which had been running in Victoria since 1993, being cancelled due to a failure to secure a venue.
The major events sector has struggled to gain momentum in the aftermath of COVID lockdowns, which market commentators noting that the business model had been hit by a perfect storm of rising costs, particularly insurances, and lower consumer confidence among the youth demographic.
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