Yesterday the Splendour in the Grass line-up dropped for 2018, and while there aren’t many questions on whether it’s a good group… there are some on just how diverse it is. Of the 101 acts at Splendour 2018, there are a total of 205 performers - 75 per cent are male. Just 12% of the names on the list are people of colour - 16 men and nine women.
Festival organisers usually offer up a range of explanations for how the bills are built - lack of availability, lack of budget and, not wanting to show bias by specifically picking female talent. And while they’re taking steps towards change, the fact this debate stirs at each line up announcement shows that many of us want that change now, not in the future.
Earlier this year, 45 international music festivals pledged to hit 50/50 gender equality by 2022. In Australia, festivals like Electric Lady are providing opportunities for female talent to get recognised with all-women line ups.
But it seems our major festivals still aren’t reflecting the diversity festival goers want to see. So how do we change it?
