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…