<\/p>\n
\n\tPlans to bring ABBA Voyage \u2013 the holographic concert experience from the eponymous Swedish pop group \u2013 to Australia have reportedly failed.<\/p>\n
\n\tFirst launched in May 2022, ABBA Voyage<\/a> saw the quartet \u2013 which comprises Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha F\u00e4ltskog \u2013 taking to the first stage for the first time in 40 years, albeit as digital avatars (or \u2018ABBA-tars\u2019).<\/p>\n \n\tWhile the group themselves have resisted lucrative offers to re-form since their 1982 split, the holographic concert experience provided a way for fans to relive the band\u2019s live concerts in the modern age. First launched in London in 2022, the immersive spectacle features 1979 versions of the band playing their biggest hits, backed by a 10-piece live band and a lofty light show.<\/p>\n \n\tCurrently, the experience is scheduled to wrap in January 2026 with questions having been raised as to where it may be held next. While reports<\/a> of a Las Vegas debut have surfaced recently, discussions in regard to an Australian edition of ABBA Voyage have been in the works since 2023.<\/p>\n \n\tInitially, both the cities of Sydney and Melbourne were in competition<\/a> to host the production, with the latter reportedly winning out as the Victorian state government entered into what were labelled \u201cadvanced conversations.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHowever, reports in May 2024 of an imminent announcement<\/a> of a production at Melbourne\u2019s Flemington Racecourse were later replaced by reports of stalled negotiations<\/a>, with an unnamed government official claiming that ABBA Voyage organizers \u2013 which includes Melbourne\u2019s Craig Hartenstine as CEO \u2013 \u201cgot greedy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tNow, a new report from the Herald Sun<\/em><\/a> has stated the event is \u201cnot going ahead\u201d in Melbourne after talks had \u201cfailed,\u201d with money and value for taxpayers being the sticking point.<\/p>\n \n\tReportedly, the ABBA Voyage production would require a purpose-built 3,000 seat venue to host the event and would cost $100 million AUD to be staged.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tPaul Dainty \u2013 who serves as the president and chief executive of promoter TEG Dainty, and was responsible for bringing the group to Australia in 1977 \u2013 called the news \u201cdisappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been a long journey, but [ABBA Voyage] is a super expensive project,\u201d he added. \u201cMaybe we can revisit it in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThough it\u2019s unclear what sort of value ABBA Voyage had been predicted to generate for the Australian economy, a December 2024 economic and social impact report<\/a> noted that in the two years since its opening in May 2022, ABBA Voyage had generated \u00a31.40 billion for the U.K. economy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n