Outlet offers one-time refund exception for ticket holders
PayPal has offered some relief to people who purchased tickets to the 2026 Byron Bay Bluesfest by announcing a special refund exception due to the music festival’s cancellation and liquidation.
The online payment platform, one of Bluesfest’s primary non-bank payment channels, said Monday it would temporarily relax its refund policies to help some ticket holders get their money back.
“When you purchase tickets using PayPal, you may be entitled to a refund under PayPal’s buyer protection policy if an event is canceled or tickets are counterfeit or do not arrive,” a PayPal spokesperson said in this imprint.
“In light of the sudden cancellation of Bluesfest and to support our customers, PayPal is making a one-time exception to the standard buyer protection eligibility window. PayPal will consider all eligible claims for Bluesfest 2026 (Byron Bay) tickets purchased using PayPal, including those made more than 180 days prior to the dispute.”
The spokesperson added that those who purchased Bluesfest tickets using the “PayPal 4” buy now, pay later service should contact PayPal via the “contact us” section on the platform’s website for assistance with their request. The feature has been enabled for all Bluesfest tickets and add-ons, allowing punters to split payouts into four interest-free payments over six weeks.
Loosening this policy will likely give hope to the US about 10,000 people He spent hundreds of dollars on Bluesfest tickets before its sudden cancellation on March 13. Organizers of the hugely popular Byron Bay music festival have shut it down just weeks before its Easter weekend run.
“A liquidator has been appointed to manage all financial matters, including vendor and partner liabilities,” Bluesfest director Peter Noble said in a statement after the festival was cancelled. he said.
Insolvency firm Worrells has been appointed as liquidator of two companies linked to Bluesfest.
In a March 13 email to creditors, including some ticket buyers, Worrells said: “At this stage it is unlikely that any money from the liquidation will be returned to you, but we will keep you informed if the position changes.”
This was because the tickets were sold through Moshtix, a subcontracted service provider. accepts no responsibility for refunds.
“For this event, Bluesfest used its own commercial facility for payments, so payments were made directly to Bluesfest,” Moshtix said in a statement last week. “If this happens, it is the event organizer’s obligation to provide refunds to ticket purchasers, not Moshtix, according to our terms and conditions of sale.”
A one-day ticket to this year’s Bluesfest cost $257 per adult. Three- and four-day adult tickets cost $554 and $686, respectively. There were also those who spent approximately $112 per night for camping, in addition to parking costs.
Those who purchase their tickets with a credit card will be able to pay the ticket price through the bank.
PayPal was named as a creditor by the liquidator and the company was stated to be owed $1.73 million in documents submitted to ASIC. In the same ASIC report, it was stated that Stripe, a second non-bank payment channel, also owed $3.92 million. Stripe has been contacted for comment.
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Nell Geraets is a Culture and Lifestyle reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
