Talks Reportedly ‘Failed’ in Efforts to Bring ABBA Voyage to Australia

Plans to bring ABBA Voyage – the holographic concert experience from the eponymous Swedish pop group – to Australia have reportedly failed.

First launched in May 2022, ABBA Voyage saw the quartet – which comprises Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog – taking to the first stage for the first time in 40 years, albeit as digital avatars (or ‘ABBA-tars’).

While 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’s 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.

Currently, the experience is scheduled to wrap in January 2026 with questions having been raised as to where it may be held next. While reports 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.

Initially, both the cities of Sydney and Melbourne were in competition to host the production, with the latter reportedly winning out as the Victorian state government entered into what were labelled “advanced conversations.”

However, reports in May 2024 of an imminent announcement of a production at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse were later replaced by reports of stalled negotiations, with an unnamed government official claiming that ABBA Voyage organizers – which includes Melbourne’s Craig Hartenstine as CEO – “got greedy.” 

Now, a new report from the Herald Sun has stated the event is “not going ahead” in Melbourne after talks had “failed,” with money and value for taxpayers being the sticking point.

Reportedly, 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. 

Paul Dainty – who serves as the president and chief executive of promoter TEG Dainty, and was responsible for bringing the group to Australia in 1977 – called the news “disappointing.”

“It’s been a long journey, but [ABBA Voyage] is a super expensive project,” he added. “Maybe we can revisit it in the future.”

Though it’s unclear what sort of value ABBA Voyage had been predicted to generate for the Australian economy, a December 2024 economic and social impact report noted that in the two years since its opening in May 2022, ABBA Voyage had generated £1.40 billion for the U.K. economy.