Up to 5000 people were expected to attend the R18 event, which was to be run between 3pm and 11pm on April 2, across multiple stages at the University of Otago Oval.
Salmonella Dub, with Tiki Taane and Laughton Kora, were to be the headline act among a ‘‘who’s who’’ of New Zealand music which included Teeks, Gin Wigmore, Nadia Reid, Lord Echo’s Percussion People, Frank Booker, Peter Urlich, Kedu Carlo, Juno Is and Hurricane Emily.
It was expected to be an exciting time for Dunedin, particularly because there had been few, if any, major events in the city for more than a year.
Mr Johnston said the support the festival had received from the Otago region and from artists and contributors was ‘‘immense’’.
All ticket holders would receive an automatic refund from their point of purchase, and plans were already in place to run the festival in March 2023, he said.
