Splendour in the Grass has been cancelled, just days after tickets for the annual music festival went on sale.

Splendour organiser Secret Sounds confirmed the cancellation “with a heavy heart” in a social media announcement at 4pm (AEDT) on Wednesday – although offering few further details.

“We know there were many fans excited for this year’s lineup and all the great artists planning to join us, but due to unexpected events, we’ll be taking the year off,” an Instagram post said.

The post said anyone who had already bought a ticket would be refunded by ticket-seller Moshtix.

Splendour in the Grass was due to be staged between July 19-21 at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, NSW.

Tickets sales began on March 21, with Australian pop superstar Kylie Minogue as the headline act. Other artists to feature included Tash Sultana, Turnstile, Angie McMahon, G-Flip, Yeat, Arcade Fire, Thelma Plum, Future, Middle Kids, Girl in Red, The Dreggs and Baby Gravy.

Folk duo The Dreggs described the cancellation as “a devastating hit to the Australian music industry” in a comment on Triple J’s Instagram post announcing the news.

DJ and songwriter Hayden James commented, “Love you Splendour”, while Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – also on the lineup – posted three sad face emojis.

“Don’t blame the fans for it, it was a shocking lineup and they raise the ticket price every year in a cost of living crisis. Perfect storm,” wrote one fan on Triple J’s Instagram post.

“Regardless of what people say: This is a sad day for Australian music,” wrote another.

The festival is the latest to be cancelled after Groovin the Moo organisers ditched its 2024 tour in February because of poor ticket sales. Organisers said sales were not sufficient “to deliver a regional festival of this kind”.

Groovin had been meant to take artists to Bendigo, Wayville, Canberra, Bunbury, Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast from April to mid-May.

Falls Festival, also organised by Secret Sounds, was also abandoned for 2024. In announcing that decision, Secret Sounds co-chief executive Jessica Ducroe said the crew behind the 30-year-old event needed a break after a challenging few years for the music industry.

Live music industry advocates on Tuesday warned the NSW government that festivals could soon be a thing of the past without further investment.

An additional 112 venues in NSW were offering live music opportunities thanks to state government reforms, Premier Chris Minns said.

But more than 25 music festivals across Australia have been cancelled since 2022 – nine of them in NSW – according to data from the Australian Festival Association.

In NSW, music festival organisers faced higher cost pressures due to extra regulations, Live Performance Australia chief Evelyn Richardson said.

Splendour in the Grass organisers had to apologise to patrons after the 2022 event when punters became stranded and bogged as the festival was held in extreme weather.

– with AAP