Bluesfest Collapse Leaves Small Business Facing $90,000 Loss

Thousands of unsold items and an unpaid invoice have left one supplier scrambling after the festival’s late cancellation

A small family-run business on the Gold Coast is facing losses of close to $90,000 after the collapse of Bluesfest, with thousands of unsold merchandise items now sitting in storage.

Uniform Print Lab, based in Tweed Heads, had been contracted to produce official merchandise for the 2026 festival. The company completed a large order in the lead-up to the event and was expecting final payment on delivery.

Instead, they found out the festival had collapsed.

The order was finished and the payment never came

The business had received a deposit for the work, but was still owed around $65,000 when Bluesfest went into liquidation, ABC reported.

Once supplier costs are taken into account, the total exposure is closer to $90,000.

For a small business, that is a serious hit.

The stock cannot be sold and is now tied up

The situation is made worse by the fact the merchandise cannot be resold.

Because a deposit had already been paid, the goods are understood to fall under the control of the liquidator.

That leaves thousands of Bluesfest-branded items sitting in boxes, unable to be moved, while the business is left carrying the loss.

The impact is spreading beyond one supplier

Uniform Print Lab is not the only business affected.

Other suppliers tied to the festival, including hospitality, cleaning and security providers, are now dealing with the fallout.

Many had committed resources and taken on costs in the final weeks leading up to the event.

Commitments were still being taken right up to the end

At the same time, tickets were still being sold and suppliers and stallholders were continuing to commit money to the 2026 event in the weeks leading up to the cancellation.

The festival was ultimately called off roughly three weeks before it was due to begin.

That brings the focus back to timing

The situation has added to growing questions about when it became clear the festival would not go ahead.

Blunt has previously reported that insolvency discussions involving Bluesfest director Peter Noble were already taking place in early 2024.

For suppliers now left out of pocket, that timeline is difficult to ignore.

The process now moves into liquidation

The liquidation process is expected to take months, and possibly longer.

In the meantime, affected businesses are left trying to manage immediate financial pressure, with little certainty around what, if anything, they will recover.

For some, the collapse of Bluesfest is not just a cancelled event.

It is a financial shock they now have to absorb themselves.

Watch: Bluesfest cancellation takes it’s toll