WOMAD festival announces hiatus, new location
Organisers of the UK’s World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival have announced that it is taking a break next year before returning to a new home in 2026.
Co-founded by legendary artist Peter Gabriel, the 40,000-capacity event has been running for over four decades and has been exported to 27 countries.
The UK edition has been held at Charlton Park near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, since 2007. Organisers say that the 2026 edition of the festival will take place nearby, though an exact location hasn’t been revealed.
“To ensure that the festival can continue to thrive for years to come in our new location, we have decided to take a year off in 2025 before returning fully charged in 2026,” Gabriel said in a statement.
“WOMAD, like many festivals and events, has seen some challenges post covid and we are now engaged in the process of re-evaluating, regenerating and reinvigorating everything we do – and where we want to go in the future. We’re delighted to say we’ll be announcing our new plans over the next few weeks.”
“To ensure that the festival can continue to thrive for years to come in our new location”
Over the next 12 months, WOMAD editions will be held in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Spain. Further events in Las Palmas (Spain), Brazil and Chile are also on the cards, as well as a “special UK event” in lieu of the flagship.
“We want to send a massive thank you to all of the brilliant staff at Charlton Park who made us feel welcome for the last 17 years, pulling us out of many sticky situations (quite literally, on those rainy weekends!),” Gabriel’s statement continues. “We couldn’t have done what we did without you.
“Also, to the fabulous community in Malmesbury, Charlton, and all the surrounding villages for whom we created a few days of disruption each year. You have always responded positively and embraced WOMAD, welcoming us into your community and working with us in so many ways.
“Finally, thank you to all of the Festival-Goers, Artists, Crew, Contractors, Volunteers and Traders who make WOMAD possible, a treasure in the festival calendar and a vital contribution to bringing communities together from all over the world to celebrate diversity and tolerance through Music, Arts, Dance, and Culture.
“We look forward to welcoming you all to our new site in 2026.”
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Massive Attack cancel US tour at last minute
Massive Attack have cancelled their US tour at the last minute due to what they describe as “unforeseen circumstances”.
The British trip-hop band were set to perform in the US for the first time in five years, with the first concert scheduled for this Thursday (17 October) at Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre.
Other US dates included a performance at III Points Festival in Miami FL, and headline shows in Atlanta GA, Washington DC, Boston MA, and Forest Hills NY before the end of the month.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Massive Attack must regrettably cancel their upcoming performances”
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Massive Attack must regrettably cancel their upcoming performances…We appreciate your understanding at this time,” reads a statement from the band.
Massive Attack are represented by UTA in North and South America.
The band recently announced a weekend of live music at Liverpool‘s M&S Bank Arena next month, featuring IDLES and Nile Rodgers, under the banner Act 1.5 presents…
The announcement came on the heels of Act 1.5, the band’s groundbreaking eco-friendly concert in their home city of Bristol.
Read IQ‘s recent interview with A Greener Future’s Claire O’Neill about Act 1.5 in Bristol here.
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Germany’s Full Force Festival called off for 2025
German festival Full Force will take a break in 2025 due to “several challenges [the organisers] cannot easily overcome”.
Launched in 1994, the Goodlive-promoted event brings some of the biggest metalcore, hardcore and punk acts to Ferropolis, Saxony-Anhalt, each year.
“Over the past weeks and months, we have made every effort to ensure that the festival can take place as usual, but the “most metal place on earth” will unfortunately have to remain silent next year,” reads a statement from organisers.
“The reasons for the cancellation are complex and confront our team with several challenges that we cannot easily overcome regarding the upcoming year,” it continues.
“We would like to offer you a festival that meets your needs, but the current circumstances unfortunately make it impossible for us to hold the festival as usual next year.”
Last year’s edition took place across three days in June and was headlined by Electric Callboy, Gojira and Papa Roach.
“The ‘most metal place on earth’ will unfortunately have to remain silent next year”
Organisers say they are currently working on preparing and implementing the 2026 edition of Full Force.
The news comes months after Goodlive announced that MELT – which also takes place annually at Ferropolis – would not return after 2024.
The decision to discontinue the 20,000-capacity festival, which has taken place since 1997, was partly due to “insurmountable changes in the festival landscape”.
The swansong edition took place in July with over 120 artists, including Sampha, James Blake, Sugababes, DJ Koze, Romy, Marlon Hoffstadt, Overmono and Skepta.
Goodlive, which was acquired by Live Nation GSA in 2022, also promotes festivals including Splash! Heroes Festival and Superbloom Festival.
Read IQ‘s recent interview with Goodlive’s Fruzsina Szép on the 2024 editions of Superbloom and Lollapalooza Berlin.
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Spilt Milk: Another Australian fest goes sour
Spilt Milk has become the latest casualty in Australia’s diminishing festival season.
“We couldn’t get you the Spilt Milk you deserve this year,” wrote organisers on social media last Friday (26 July). “We will come back when [we] can make all your dreams come true.”
The multi-city event started in Canberra in 2016, expanding to the Gold Coast and Ballarat in 2019 and Perth in 2023. Across its run, the festival hosted artists including Dom Dolla, Vince Staples, Lorde, Cub Sport, RL Grime, Peking Duk, Khalid, Juice WRLD, Steve Lacy, and Post Malone.
Spilt Milk is promoted by Kicks Entertainment which in 2022, was bought by Live Nation-owned promoter Secret Sounds.
Secret Sounds heralded one of the highest-profile casualties of this year when it pulled Splendour in the Grass, due to “unexpected events”.
The festival scene has been deemed “in crisis” since the beginning of this year when six notable festivals were cancelled in quick succession: Groovin The Moo, Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays.
“We couldn’t get you the Spilt Milk you deserve this year”
More events have since been cancelled due to a laundry list of issues such as bushfires, floods, the pandemic, rising insurance costs, the cost-of-living crisis and state regulations.
These woes were distilled in a Creative Australia report that revealed that only half of the country’s festivals are profitable. Earlier this month, the Australian Festivals Association pleaded for “the ongoing war on festivals” to end.
Australia’s House of Representatives has responded to the plight of the festival sector – and the music industry as a whole – with a new inquiry.
The standing committee on communications and the arts last week hosted three rounds of public hearings with industry stakeholders such as trade bodies, broadcasters and event organisers.
In the first round, the committee were told that “a national strategy to ensure the live music industry survives”.
Brian Mitchell MP, the chair of the committee, said that “the committee looked forward to continuing its deep dive into the operational and regulatory challenges facing the live music event industry”.
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Australia’s Promise Village axed days after on-sale
A new Australian festival has been cancelled just five days after tickets went on sale.
Promise Village, presented by Triple J, was due to take place on 12 October at Langley Park in Perth with headliners Jorja Smith, J Hus and Headie One.
Festival co-founder Emal Naim told Perth Now that the event was pulled because there weren’t enough ticket sales or local government support.
“It unfortunately didn’t hold up to initial expectations and there was not much support to sustain costs, it just wasn’t feasible anymore,” he said. “We’ve made the decision indefinitely to not return to Perth, we’re scared to.”
Presale tickets went public five days ago while the general sale opened two days ago.
“It unfortunately didn’t hold up to initial expectations and there was not much support to sustain costs, it just wasn’t feasible anymore”
When the event was announced last month, festival co-director Naim said: “R&B as a genre now is as strong as ever, and it’s about time Australia gets a live experience dedicated to it. This has been a long time coming.”
The likes of Uncle Waffles, Headie One, Nemzzz, NSG DBN Gogo, Sarz, Jazmine Nikitta and Sasha Fern were also due to perform at the new festival.
The Promise Village line-up shared many acts with the established festival Promiseland – both of which were co-founded by Naim.
The next edition of the event, which was launched in 2022, is due to take place in October on the Gold Coast.
Naim’s company Festco is also behind Souled Out – a new festival that sold 75,000 tickets across five cities in Australasia for its inaugural edition – and Eden Festival in New Zealand.
The cancellation of Promise Village comes days after the Australian Festivals Association pleaded for “the ongoing war on festivals” to end.
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MetalDays calls it quits: ‘We were too proud, too naive’
Slovenia’s MetalDays festival will not return, organisers today (9 July) announced in a remarkably candid and lengthy statement.
The five-page statement details a raft of issues and mistakes that ultimately led to the event’s demise, with the organisers apologising for “refunds not returned, unpaid bands, and unsettled production expenses”.
“We made mistakes that, even though they occurred during unprecedented times, should not have been made by promoters with our level of expertise,” it reads.
The laundry list of issues named by organisers includes financial losses caused by Covid-19, severe flooding at the 2023 edition, the cost-of-living crisis and significant operational cost increases.
Organisers say they offered the company and brand to “all the major players” including Live Nation, Festival Republic and Superstruct Entertainment, and approached major festivals to take it over to fulfil obligations that remained.
“Regrettably, despite our best efforts, this did not happen, and it is just not economically feasible to continue,” they added.
“We made mistakes that should not have been made by promoters with our level of expertise”
The statement pointed to Covid-19 cancellations in 2020 and 2021 as the beginning of the downturn for the company, adding that the organisation didn’t have any savings and “almost didn’t get any financial help from the government”.
Despite struggling with regular expenses like office rentals, storage house rentals, and employee wages, organisers admitted they “didn’t change anything regarding our regular expenses”.
“Our judgment was wrong, and it was a mistake to continue our business affairs as if nothing had happened,” they added.
In 2021, MetalDays considered filing for bankruptcy but instead took a private loan to “be able to survive as a company and to slowly return requested refunds”.
“Could we have known this in advance and should we have declared bankruptcy before the 2022 edition? Probably. Now that sounds like the right decision. At the time, it didn’t seem like an option at all. We were too proud and too naive.”
The festival promised to refund tickets to those who didn’t want to roll them over to the 2022 edition but by then, “all production costs had risen (in some cases by 300%), but we were sold out with ticket prices too low that were calculated before March 2020”.
“Should we have declared bankruptcy before the 2022 edition? Probably”
In addition, they had “already used all the loan funds for refunds and to keep the business alive. Without a ticket price increase and with all the unexpected price rises, we kept pushing back the refunds, creating a bad vibe going into an already sensitive [2022] festival edition.”
Prior to the 2022 edition, the festival was due to move from Tolmin to a new venue but plans were hampered by Covid-19. When construction started on a bypass road that split the site, the event’s capacity was slashed from 12,000 to 7,000.
“This not only increased costs but also limited our ability to sell additional tickets at a reasonable price in 2022,” reads the statement. “Managing this was a logistical nightmare that resulted in significant production expenses and visitors’ dissatisfaction.”
Issues surrounding the 2022 edition were compounded by the introduction of a cashless payment system, managed by the festival’s longtime gastronomy partner Amaia Esa. MetalDays alleges that the firm did not honour contracts and unlawfully withheld a significant portion of the money owed to the MetalDays organising company.
The statement also mentioned former crew members setting up a rival metal festival in Tolmin after MetalDays’ final edition at the site, and accused them of igniting a smear campaign in local press.
“In total, well over half a million of private funds were invested by shareholders in MetalDays from 2021 until 2023”
In 2023, the festival attempted to atone for previous issues by “excessively spending” on the lineup. The organisers say they had sold a portion of shares in the MetalDays promoting company, which was invested in the 2023 edition.
“One shareholder also took an additional loan, which was likewise invested in MetalDays 2023. In total, well over half a million of private funds were invested by shareholders in MetalDays from 2021 until 2023, covering both production costs of 2023 and processed refunds.”
Severe flooding cut the 2023 festival short by two days, resulting in further losses for the organisation. Fans showed their sympathy by purchasing pre-sale tickets for 2024 and the festival claims that, with that money, it would have been able to cover all 2023 production expenses, including bands.
“If we could survive this financially, we believe this unfortunate event would create such a strong bond between visitors and that it would have a positive outcome in the end. However crazy this may sound. Unfortunately, promised state aid still didn’t arrive, and this edition lived to be our last one.”
“We are sorry for refunds not returned, unpaid bands, and unsettled production expenses more than you can imagine”
The 2024 edition was cancelled in January, with tickets once again rolled over to 2025, which will not take place.
“We’re not looking for excuses,” concludes the statement. “Our goal is to present the last four MetalDays years and all significant events as they truly happened. We had to think like businessmen when COVID-19 started and we should have declared bankruptcy back then. Being proud, being friendly, and relying on luck has no place in business.
“Many individuals and companies would have not been harmed if this decision had been made at the right time. We wish to apologize to each one of them. We are sorry for refunds not returned, unpaid bands, and unsettled production expenses more than you can imagine. We now know what we could and should have done differently. However, the global pandemic and historic flood created challenges that were too big for us to manage effectively at the time.
“When we return, it will be with something new, exciting, and capable of setting a new trend. And most importantly, funds must be available before the first ticket is sold.”
MetalDays launched in 2013 and has attracted bands including Megadeth, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Volbeat and Sabaton.
Read the full statement here: https://www.metaldays.net/
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Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival cancelled
Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival 2024 has been cancelled out of respect for the coronation of the king, organisers have announced.
Last year’s edition was also partly cancelled after The 1975’s Matty Healy hit out at the country’s strict anti-LGBT laws and kissed a male bandmate on stage.
Despite the fallout, the festival was due to return on 20 and 21 July, albeit in a different location than last year and one day shorter.
However, promoter Future Sound Asia today (1 July) announced it received a letter from authorities stating that “large-scale performances involving international artists are not to be held on 20 July and are to be rescheduled to a later date, out of respect for the Coronation Ceremony of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia”.
It continues: “Due to the nature of Good Vibes Festival (GVF) which involves multiple touring acts over multiple days, rescheduling the festival is not possible.”
“Due to the nature of Good Vibes Festival (GVF) which involves multiple touring acts over multiple days, rescheduling the festival is not possible”
As a result, Future Sound Asia has cancelled the festival, originally scheduled for 20 and 21 July at Resorts World Awana in Genting Highlands.
It added that all ticket purchasers for GVF will automatically receive full refunds to the payment method used for their purchase.
The 2024 edition would have featured J Balvin, Peggy Gou, Joji, BIBI and more, as well as returning Malaysian acts who had their performances cancelled from the 2023 event.
Last year’s 10th-anniversary edition was axed after The 1975’s Healy kissed a male bandmate on stage.
The set was cut short, and promoters Future Sound Asia (FSA) were ordered by the government to call off the rest of the three-day festival at Sepang International Circuit.
FSA described Good Vibes Festival’s cancellation as a “catastrophic financial blow” and demanded £2 million in compensation from The 1975. Legal proceedings are ongoing.
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Germany’s MELT festival to close after 27 years
Germany’s MELT festival has announced that this year’s edition will be its last, partly due to “insurmountable changes in the festival landscape”.
The 20,000-capacity festival, promoted by Live Nation-owned Goodlive, has taken place since 1997 and hosted artists including Jamie xx, Little Simz, Bonobo, Alt-J, Jon Hopkins, Mogwai, Justice, Hot Chip and Aphex Twin.
Last night, organisers revealed that they “could no longer continue the festival” after 2024.
“Despite our commitment and efforts in recent years, we recognise that the original Melt no longer fits into the German festival market and cannot withstand the developments of recent years without radically altering the festival concept,” director Florian Czok, a 2019 New Boss, added.
“It’s a difficult decision, but we believe it’s time to explore new paths and create space for fresh ideas.”
“We believe it’s time to explore new paths and create space for fresh ideas”
The swansong edition will feature over 120 artists, including Sampha, James Blake, Sugababes, DJ Koze, Romy, Marlon Hoffstadt, Overmono, James Blake, Obongjayar, Romy and Skepta. Several surprises are also due to be announced in the coming days and weeks, according to organisers.
The farewell edition will return to the Ferropolis open-air museum, near Gräfenhainichen, Saxony-Anhalt, where it has been held since 1999.
Over the years, MELT has won numerous international awards, including Best Festival, Artist’s Favourite European Festival, and Green ‘N’ Clean Festival Of The Year. It is thought to be one of Germany’s biggest open-air electronic events.
News of its closure comes days after Finland’s Sideways Festival announced that it won’t take place in its current form after 2024.
Organisers of the Helsinki festival, which is promoted by Fullsteam Agency, also cited difficult conditions in the festival landscape.
Goodlive’s festival portfolio now comprises Splash!, Full Force, Heroes Festival and Superbloom Festival.
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More than 40 UK festivals cancelled for 2024
More than 40 UK festivals have been postponed, cancelled or shut down in 2024, according to a new report from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
Bradford’s Challenge Festival is the latest casualty, with the free event axed just days before it was scheduled due to “unrealistic demands” being placed on the organisers.
In the past five years alone, 172 festivals in the UK have disappeared, according to AIF, the UK’s leading not-for-profit festival trade association.
Of those, 96 events were lost due to Covid-19, 36 were lost throughout 2023, and 40 have been lost since the start of the year.
El Dorado, Pennfest, Connect Music Festival, 110 Above Festival, NASS Festival, Leopollooza, Long Division, Bluedot, Barn On The Farm and Splendour are among this year’s losses, with the majority of organisers blaming a significant increase in operational costs.
AIF has warned that without intervention, the country will see over 100 festivals disappear in 2024 due to unpredictable rising costs.
“The speed of festival casualties in 2024 shows no sign of slowing”
In response to the crisis, the trade association has launched a campaign called Five Percent For Festivals that aims to inform festivalgoers about the problems that organisers have faced over the last five years, encouraging them to contact their MPs to lobby for a VAT reduction on tickets.
It states that temporary support from the UK Government – lowering VAT from 20 per cent to five per cent on ticket sales for the next three years – is all that’s needed to give festival promoters the space they need to rebuild.
“The speed of festival casualties in 2024 shows no sign of slowing,” says AIF CEO John Rostron said. “We are witnessing the steady erosion of one of the UK’s most successful and culturally significant industries not because of a lack of demand from the public but because of unpredictable, unsustainable supply chain costs and market fluctuations.”
“In asking for a temporary reduction in VAT related to ticket sales, we have provided the government with a considered, targeted and sensible solution, which would save this important sector. We need action now.”
Challenges are being felt by festivals of all sizes across Europe, with FKP Scorpio’s Stephan Thanscheidt recently telling IQ that it “has become very challenging to promote festivals in a way that keeps pushing things forward and is economically viable.”
Read the full 2024 festival preview, which also features Christof Huber (Gadget, Yourope) and Jim King (AEG Presents), here.
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Lovers & Friends Festival cancelled last minute
US festival Lovers & Friends was cancelled less than 15 hours before it was scheduled to begin due to “dangerous weather”.
Promoted by Live Nation, the one-day festival was supposed to kick off on midday Saturday (4 May) in Las Vegas, US, with headlining sets from Usher, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys.
However, an overnight statement from organisers said they had been “monitoring the weather for several days and proactively preparing for a windy Saturday,” but decided it was too unsafe after advice from public officials and the National Weather Service, which warned of high winds and “gusts potentially more than 60 mph.”
“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world to enjoy this incredible lineup of superstars and have been looking forward to this event for several months,” the statement said. “We’ve worked hard to create an amazing event for you, and we are just as disappointed as you are.”
Ja Rule, Ashanti, Gwen Stefani, Monica, Brandy, Nas, M.I.A., Snoop Dogg, Ciara and Ludacris were also featured on the 90s-centric lineup.
“This was an incredibly heartbreaking decision to make as we are aware that fans have travelled from all over the world”
Tickets ranged from $325 (€302) to $695 (€645). Organisers said those who purchased tickets through official channels will receive a refund within 30 days.
Since launching in 2020, Friends & Lovers Festival has experienced its fair share of upsets. When it was first announced in 2020, several artists on its lineup denied their involvement. That year’s event was later cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The festival finally debuted in Vegas in 2022 but three attendees later sued organisers, claiming they failed to provide adequate safety and security measures when rumours of gunfire at the event caused them to be trampled in a stampede. The case is still pending.
Lovers & Friends is the latest festival impacted by extreme weather, following the recent cancellation of California’s Sol Blume.
In the US, adverse weather coverage has “increased significantly” in the last five years, according to Jeff Torda from Higginbotham. Backing this point, a recent Billboard article claimed premiums in North America had tripled in recent years.
The latest edition of ILMC also saw industry leaders discussing ways to cope with the impact of weather on festivals and open-air live music events.
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