Number of cancelled UK festivals doubles to 72 in 2024

nme.com:

21 UK festivals had already been cancelled, postponed or scrapped, including Nozstock Hidden Valley who announced in December that 2024 would be their final incarnation after 26 years due to “soaring costs” and financial risk”.Elsewhere, the fan favourite Shepton Mallet skating and music festival NASS announced that they wouldn’t be putting on an event this summer either as it was “just not economically feasible to continue”.

Bluedot announced a year off for the land to “desperately” recover after being struck by heavy rain and cancellations last summer, and, in April, PennFest cancelled their 2024 festival due to a “challenging economic climate”.AIF’s CEO John Rostron called 2024 a “devastating period” for festival organisers in the UK. “The festival sector generates significant revenue in and around local economies as well as to the Treasury every year,” he added. “We have campaigned tirelessly for targeted, temporary government intervention which, evidence shows, would have saved most of the independent events that have fallen in 2024.“It is sad to see that this erosion has been allowed to continue under this Government.

We have great events, with great demand, and we’re doing all we can. They need to step up, and step up now.”Other festivals impacted by rising costs include Dumfries’ Doonhame Festival which was cancelled this year, Nottingham’s Splendour which was canned due to planning delays from a financially struggling city council, and Barn On The Farm which took a fallow year due to financial constraints.Speaking to NME about the cancellation and postponement of various music festivals, Oscar Matthews – co-owner of Barn On The Farm festival shared: “It’s inevitable and it’s already started, but when you start.