It looks like Australia’s festival circuit is about to receive a heavy upgrade, with international touring giants Live Nation acquiring two of the year’s biggest events.

It has been announced that Live Nation have purchased a 51% stake in Secret Sounds – the company behind Splendour In The Grass and Falls Festival. They are the first two Australian festivals to join Live Nation’s gargantuan roster, which includes world-class events like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Reading and dozens more. Live Nation’s Australian arm has also toured the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Black Sabbath, while Chance The Rapper and Adele are just two of the high-profile tours they’ve locked in for 2017.

“We started Secret Sounds with the sole mission of introducing Australians to the best artists, events and music possible, and Live Nation is the perfect partner to help us take this goal to the next level… With their support we can continue to curate the lineups that fans love, while also experimenting with new exciting ways for fans to experience live music,” Secret Sounds co-founders Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco said in a joint statement.

“Splendour in the Grass and Falls are the two most iconic festivals in Australia. Jess and Paul have created events that attract the biggest artists in the world but still feel uniquely Australian.  We look forward to partnering with them to find new ways to grow our live event footprint across Australia,” Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino says.

According to Music Feeds, “Live Nation’s shiny new acquisition also includes Secret Sounds’ touring, sponsorship, PR, artist management and domestic agency businesses, but excludes the Dew Process & Create Control Record Labels, Dew Process Publishing and its interests in the North Byron Parklands festival site and The Triffid venue in Brisbane.”

We’re currently packing our bags for Falls Festival later this month – and if the new owners’ track record is anything to go by, it sounds like the 2017 edition is going to be even bigger than we can imagine. And don’t even get us started on the possibilities for Splendour In The Grass! Things are looking up: