60 UK festivals now cancelled in 2024
The number of UK festivals to have announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024 has reached 60.
Basingstoke’s Cosmic Roots Festival and Gloucester’s Witcombe Festival have become the latest casualties, while Cambridgeshire’s Secret Garden Party recently announced this year’s edition was its last “in its current form” – burning its main stage at the end of its July weekend as a symbol of the challenges facing independent festivals.
Organisers of Cosmic Roots, which was scheduled for 5-8 September, put the decision to cancel down to “unpredictable ticket sales and a rise in production costs”.
“The pressure on our independently funded festival is simply too great,” says a statement. “2024 has been a tough year for the festival industry, with challenges that none of us saw coming. The shifting landscape has been incredibly difficult to navigate, and despite our best efforts, it’s left us unable to move forward with the festival this year… The reality of the situation made it impossible to continue as planned.”
Elsewhere, Witcombe Festival, which was due to run over the August Bank Holiday weekend, blamed the cost of living crisis for “significantly” impacting ticket sales and planning.
“Despite our best efforts and creativity, including plans to reduce capacity and the size of the festival site, these have not been possible due to strict licensing conditions,” says a statement. “We have always prided ourselves on delivering an unforgettable experience for our festivalgoers, and we believe that cancelling the event is the most responsible course of action to ensure we can return stronger in the future.
“We hope that the new Labour government will take swift action to save many successful festival businesses that are facing this existential threat”
“We are committed to returning with an even more spectacular event, and we look forward to celebrating with you all once the situation stabilises.”
The festivals join dozens of losses from this year’s calendar including NASS Festival, Bradford’s Challenge Festival, El Dorado, Pennfest, Connect Music Festival, 110 Above Festival, Leopollooza, Long Division, Bluedot and Barn On The Farm, with the majority of organisers blaming significant increases in operational costs.
According to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), it is expected that the UK will see over 100 festivals disappear without intervention. In February, AIF launched a campaign asking for a temporary VAT reduction from 20% to 5% on festival tickets that it says would save many event promoters from closure.
The trade body is now resuming its push following the election of the new government.
“The number of festivals forced to cancel, postpone or shut down entirely in 2024, largely because of unpredictable costs and a credit crunch within the sector, shows no signs of slowing,” says AIF CEO John Rostron. “The urgent need for government intervention through a temporary reduction in VAT on ticket sales to 5% remains.
“We hope that the new Labour government will take swift action to save many successful festival businesses that are facing this existential threat.”
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Secret Garden Party to end ‘in its current form’
This weekend’s Secret Garden Party (SGP) will have its main stage set ablaze, symbolising the finale of the event in its current form and a call for change in the embattled UK festival sector.
Organisers say the 2024 event – entitled, Secret Garden Party: Roots – will “mark the end of Secret Garden Party as you know it”, off the back of festival crises at home and abroad.
With a focus on collaboration, SGP is aiming to highlight the need for independents to work together to rebuild and restore the scene, after the number of UK festivals to have announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024 surpassed 50. Saturday’s ‘Burning Of The Main Stage’ will represent “a call for urgent change; from the ashes something new will grow from the garden”.
“In 2025, we’re offering our SGP site to all those festivals that have had to cancel or for stages and collectives that have lost their ‘home'”
The 30,000-cap event, which runs from 25-28 July in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK, features more than 350 artists including Unkle, Crystal Fighters, Ren, Chinchilla, Franky Wah, Carly Wilford, Adelphi Music Factory, Jakkob, Omega Nebula, Technobrass and TC & The Groove. It previously announced it was foregoing big-name headliners for 2024 in favour of nurturing grassroots acts after signing up to independent collective Chai Wallahs’ Drop a Headliner campaign.
“In today’s world it’s no longer sustainable for independents to run festivals,” says SGP founder Fred Fellowes. “In 2025, we’re offering our SGP site to all those festivals that have had to cancel or for stages and collectives that have lost their ‘home’. Let’s work together, we have the space and drive to make sure not all is lost for those independents that drive our scene forward.”
Last year, SGP, which returned in 2022 following a five-year hiatus, announced plans to evolve into a social enterprise-based music festival, with organisers committing 65% of the event’s profits to being a “force for good”.
The SGP team are also premiering seven-day wellness and family camping festival Wild Meadows from 5-11 August. As well as music, it will feature a programme of activities including crafting, woodland skills, and games, while the Herb Garden Wellness experience will offer sound healing, yoga, breath work, meditation and workshops.
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Secret Garden Party unveils wellness & family fest
The team behind the UK’s Secret Garden Party (SGP) are premiering a new seven-day wellness and family camping festival.
Wild Meadows will debut from 5-11 August at the SGP site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. As well as music, Wild Meadows will feature a programme of activities including crafting, woodland skills, and games, while the Herb Garden Wellness experience will offer sound healing, yoga, breath work, meditation and workshops.
Weekend and day tickets are also available alongside full week passes.
It is the second event to be announced by SGP in 2024 so far, with the flagship festival due to return from 25-28 July. An invite-only gathering, Mistress Mary, is also in the works for September.
“We are excited to welcome old and new Gardeners alike to rediscover our beautiful site with fresh eyes, their families and their friends”
“We are excited to welcome old and new Gardeners alike to rediscover our beautiful site with fresh eyes, their families and their friends, in a wholesome camping adventure sprinkled with Secret Garden Party magic,” says SGP founder Fred Fellowes.
The launch of Wild Meadows continues a notable shift towards health-focused events within the UK business, with festivals such as Oxfordshire’s Wilderness providing wellness and lakeside spa experiences.
SGP revealed earlier this month, meanwhile, that it is foregoing big-name headliners for 2024 in favour of nurturing grassroots acts after signing up to independent collective Chai Wallahs’ Drop a Headliner campaign. It is also replacing its main stage with several smaller, more intimate venues.
The lineup for Secret Garden Party: Roots features more than 350 artists including Unkle, Crystal Fighters, Chinchilla, Franky Wah, Carly Wilford, Adelphi Music Factory, Jakkob, Omega Nebula, Technobrass and TC & The Groove.
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UK festival joins ‘Drop a headliner’ campaign
Secret Garden Party (SGP) has announced it has signed up to independent collective Chai Wallahs’ Drop a Headliner campaign to focus on nurturing grassroots acts for its 2024 edition.
The UK festival, scheduled for Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, from 25-28 July, is foregoing big-name headliners in favour of allocating resources to supporting rising acts.
The move represents a call to action to save the indie scene, with 34 major events having already declared a postponement, cancellation or complete closure this year, and the Music Venues Trust reports that 16% of UK grassroots music venues have been lost in the last 12 months.
This year’s SGP lineup features more than 350 artists including Unkle, Crystal Fighters, Chinchilla, Franky Wah, Carly Wilford, Adelphi Music Factory, Jakkob, Omega Nebula, Technobrass and TC & The Groove. Chai Wallahs, The Living Room and Noiganica will also host dedicated venues to diverse, grassroots live music, while Save Our Scene, Parable Music, Dubtendo and Truth Tribe will provide stage takeovers.
“We believe in being a breeding ground for talent to grow,” says founder Freddie Fellowes. “Why allocate a massive budget to one or two headliners when it could fuel another 50 outstanding acts? This year’s focus is on providing grassroots artists the ability to shine, whilst actively redefining festival experiences for the future.”
“For the grassroots scene to survive and thrive, this talent needs platforms and opportunities to be able to develop, so we must address the disparity”
Launched in 2004, the 32,000-cap event has previously hosted performances by the likes of Lily Allen, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Florence & The Machine, The XX and Regina Spektor.
“Having been ardent supporters of the grassroots scene for over 20 years, we were chuffed when Secret Garden Party agreed to be the first independent festival to collaborate with us on the ‘Drop a Headliner’ campaign,” says Chai Wallahs’ founder Si Chai. “There is so much more enjoyment to be had in the discovery of new music, and please trust me when I say that there is a massive world of undiscovered talent. For the grassroots scene to survive and thrive, this talent needs platforms and opportunities to be able to develop, so we must address the disparity.”
The campaign notes that with headliners at that level commanding up to £150,000, SGP is taking the opportunity to re-allocate the figure to finance around 222 individual acts.
“This staggering number would create a marked upsurge in independent music and become a building block for its sustained growth,” it says.
Chai continues: “This campaign highlights not only the opportunities for programmers to be more creative with their million pound budgets, but also presents a chance to support a whole ecosystem of artists. It provides greater enjoyment to open minded music lovers, and a healthy alternative to playing the big name game.”
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Minsters urged to expand drug testing at festivals
A parliamentary committee has urged the UK government to expand on-site drug testing at festivals.
In a newly published report, the Home Affairs Committee criticises drug laws as “outdated and in need of reform” and calls for a new legislative and funding framework that enables “practical, risk-reducing interventions such as establishing a pilot drug consumption facility and drug testing at festivals”.
The committee points out that countries such as the United States, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Canada, Austria and Australia have established drug checking services for festival-goers.
“Drug-checking services can help reduce the harms caused by high strength or dangerous combinations of drugs, and provide advice on harm reduction to users,” it says. “The government should expand the availability of these services at music festivals and within the night-time economy, with a dedicated licensing scheme in place ahead of the 2024 festival season.”
UK promoters previously accused the Home Office of putting gig-goers “at risk” following an apparent U-turn on drug testing at festivals earlier this summer.
Manchester’s 80,000-cap Parklife festival was unable to test confiscated pills at the June event after drug testing nonprofit The Loop was informed it needed to apply for a special licence rather than relying on its agreement with the police. The licence costs upwards of £3,000 and can take three months to process.
Parklife had worked with police and The Loop to test confiscated drugs on site for the previous eight years. Attendees were previously able to submit drugs for testing to establish their content before consumption, with a “push notification” alert subsequently sent to them if the tests show the drugs are a serious threat to health.
“There is no safe way to take illegal drugs, which devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities, and we have no plans to consider this”
The festival’s founder, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester Sacha Lord, argued that without the provision of drug checking, the risk of drug-related harms or overdose at festivals could increase.
However, a Home Office spokesperson moved to distance the government from the committee’s recommendations.
“There is no safe way to take illegal drugs, which devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities, and we have no plans to consider this,’ says the spokesperson. “Our 10-year drugs strategy set out ambitious plans, backed with a record £3bn funding over three years, to tackle the supply of illicit drugs through relentless policing action and building a world-class system of treatment and recovery to turn people’s lives around and prevent crime.”
In 2016, Secret Garden Party became the first British camping festival to give attendees the chance to test the content of their drugs without fear of recrimination, with Kendal Calling following a week later. A drug harm-reduction campaign piloted by the Irish HSE (Health and Safety Executive) at last summer’s Electric Picnic was also rolled out across a number of other festivals in Ireland this summer.
In the wake of the latest report, Night Time Industries Association CEO Michael Kill is calling for urgent modernisation of the UK government’s drug policy.
“The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 has served its purpose, but the landscape has evolved dramatically since its enactment,” says Kill. “Our European neighbours have taken proactive measures to address drug-related challenges, prioritising harm reduction and public safety. It is high time for the UK to catch up and adopt a more pragmatic and modern approach.”
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Secret Garden Party adopts social enterprise model
The UK’s Secret Garden Party is to evolve into a social enterprise-based music festival, with organisers committing 65% of the event’s profits to being a “force for good”.
The 30,000-cap event will become the biggest festival to embrace the model so far, setting out its mission to help in the “rehabilitation of at risk and disenfranchised individuals via the arts”. At least 65% of profit will go to front line organisations in these sectors, with the remainder going towards in-house partnerships and apprenticeship schemes such as Bridges For Music.
Launched in 2004, SGP has won several awards for spearheading new ideas including the introduction of MAST drug-testing, no branding policy, and immersive audience participation.
“SGP has always been founded on a principle of inclusivity,” says SGP founder Freddie Fellowes. “This is a word that’s meaning has evolved and grown up along with us. As a result, we deeply understand how much work and effort is involved in ensuring that a party is truly inclusive. Recently much has been noted regarding how inclusive the music industry is – or isn’t – and this set us thinking about how much more we could go with our core principles of being progressive, inclusive, and relevant.
SGP returns to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire this summer from 20-23 July, headlined by The Libertines, Underworld and Fat Freddy’s Drop.
“Our theme for 2023, ‘A New Hope’, is not just some pithy reference to our pledge to have better loos this year,” explains Fellowes. “It is a real Declaration of Independence as we are ensuring that Secret Garden Party (Version 2.0) is a force for good by officially becoming a social enterprise.
“It is exciting to continue to show that there is another way to run live events and we know that ‘Why’ things are done is as important to our audience as the ‘How’. So, making this pledge to play it forward is something I see as vital right now.”
Relaunching the festival in 2022 following a five-year hiatus, Fellowes was keen to establish a more formal set-up that will benefit others.
“We came back because Covid – and lockdown – opened our eyes to what a privilege it was to hold a gathering such as SGP,” adds Fellowes. “Now, as we stare down the barrel of a cost of living crisis, that privilege is something to be leveraged further; by establishing ourselves as a social enterprise I can ensure that SGP is, and will always be, a force for good.”
The estate where SGP is held is family-run by Fellowes, meaning workshop space and accommodation facilities to mentor, patron and apprentice individuals will now be available year-round.
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Tech startup Easol partners with leading festivals
Experience commerce technology platform Easol has announced partnerships with a raft of leading festivals.
Easol will be the official booking platform partner for Afro Nation Portugal & Ghana, along with the UK’s Secret Garden Party and El Dorado.
The company, which launched a new financing solution for festival organisers in the autumn, says clients will be able to manage many aspects of their business on one platform – from setting their own booking fees to owning data – with complete end-to-end control of their brand, customer journey and finances.
“We’re super-proud to be partnering with these amazing festivals and feel honoured to be a part of their journey,” says Easol CEO Ben Simpson. “My co-founder Lisa and I started Easol to build a ‘creator-first’ alternative to traditional ticketing and third party booking platforms, that empowers rather than limits experience businesses and along with our team we are excited to support our new partners towards success in 2023 and beyond.”
“Having complete control and access to all elements of the festival organisation will be critical”
Suzi Sendama, head of commercial at Secret Garden Party, says: “When it comes to organising Secret Garden Party each year, we need a technology solution that is intuitive and easy to use so we can easily update our website with new information, add things to it as our festival grows and develops. We haven’t been able to do this with any other solution or partner except Easol.
“Having complete control and access to all elements of the festival organisation will also be critical, including control over our finances.”
Easol unveiled the full capabilities of its all-in-one toolkit to power festival organisers at its Festivals Showcase event streamed in September.
“Being able to upsell everything on one booking journey where everything is all working in-sync, with our own branding, will only help us sell more whilst providing a much better booking experience for our customers too,” adds Luke Wolfman, co-founder of El Dorado.
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Secret Garden Party 2022 sells out in record time
Secret Garden Party 2022 has sold out in record time following an “overwhelming response” to the reunion event.
It was revealed late last month that SGP, hailed as one of the UK’s best-loved and most successful boutique festivals, would return after a five-year hiatus to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Tickets for SGP 2022, which features an entirely secret line-up that will not announced in advance, went on sale on Sunday morning (26 September) and were all sold out within two hours.
It was reported that 70,000 fans applied for the 15,000 tickets available for next year’s festival.
Festival boss Freddie Fellowes commented: “We are thrilled and frankly totally blown away by the overwhelming response to the return of SGP and its 20th anniversary.
“The love and enthusiasm for going back to the Garden have taken our breath away”
“We thought that since closing our doors five years ago and then after such an isolating grim couple of years there might be some interest, but the love and enthusiasm for going back to the Garden have taken our breath away.”
Fellows added: “There’s clearly a need to bring like-minded people together who want to meet, play, create and rejoice. It is no longer a luxury we can take for granted. The joy shown on SGP’s social media since the announcement and the subsequent crazy shared stories reminds us of how A Serious Party has the capacity to create magic.
“I’d like to thank every single person who applied. Congratulations if you managed to get ticket, if not then don’t despair; SGP is about collaboration and we have kept back a fair few tickets for the most wonderful ideas that people want to bring to life in the Garden. Applications for this will open next month so get your thinking caps on… and join us next summer.”
Secret Garden Party has seen performances from the likes of Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine, Faithless, Lily Allen, Blondie and many more.
In 2017, founder Fellowes said “all good things must come to an end”, adding that they were working on a different festival to launch in the years ahead.
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Secret Garden Party founder scoops award
Secret Garden Party founder Freddie Fellowes admitted he was “humbled” to be presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Festivals at the UK Festival Awards at east London’s Troxy last night.
Award directors’ judged that he “held a pivotal role in the formation of the now thriving boutique festival scene”.
Fellowes said: “I feel very humbled by this, and to tell the honest truth, this has been not only an honour and a privilege but also an utter blast to have been a part of. Every year so many people gave so much to make this party and in return got so much back from it. It was beautiful. I’m glad for all of those people that it’s been recognised.”
“This has been not only and honour but also an utter blast.”
A spokesperson for the awards said: “Across its illustrious 15-year tenure, the Secret Garden Party consistently set the creative benchmark for UK festivals – shifting the focus away from big name headliners in order to cultivate an extraordinarily immersive and participatory atmosphere through fantastical set design and meticulous attention to detail. It facilitated a grant system to encourage upcoming artists and acted as a springboard to a whole host of creative people – musicians, installation artists, performers, chefs, technicians – who have gone on to forge successful careers around the world.
“In addition to pioneering in the creative side of festival organisation, Fellowes has not been afraid to tackle current issues head on. He has been widely commended for being one of the first organisers to sanction MAST drug-testing facilities at a festival, a practice that has since been rolled out across many other festivals and events in the UK. And, with his wife Joanna he has been very vocal about promoter duty of care concerning the issue of sexual assaults at live music events. He encouraged AIF to set up the sexual safety charter for events.”
Latitude (cap. 39,999) scooped Best Major Festival at the ceremony, hosted by comedian Rufus Hound. Best Medium Festival went to End of the Road (14,000), headlined this year by Father John Misty, Jesus and Mary Chain and Mac Demarco; while Lincolnshire’s Lost Village Festival (5,000) won Best Small Festival.
TRNSMT Festival (50,000), promoted by DF Concerts on Glasgow Green, picked up Best New Festival, and Camp Bestival won Best Family Festival. CODA won Agency of the Year, while SJM Concerts picked up Promoter of the Year.
The UK Festival Awards are decided by a combination of public vote and industry judges. Previously held at the Roundhouse, it moved to the Troxy for the first time this year. The UK Festival Conference, usually held on the same day as the awards, was discontinued.
The full list of winners is:
Best Major Festival
In association with Ticketmaster
Latitude Festival
Best Medium-Sized Festival
In association with Peppermint Bars
End of the Road
Best Small Festival
Lost Village
Best New Festival
In association with Skiddle
TRNSMT Festival
Best Metropolitan Festival
Slam Dunk Festival
Best Family Festival
Camp Bestival
Best Non-Music Festival
Bournemouth 7s
Promoter of the Year
In association with Imaginators
SJM Concerts
Agency of the Year
Coda Agency
The Brand Activation Award
In association with CGA
The JägerHaus
The Grass Roots Festival Award
2000trees
Best Overseas Festival
Outlook Festival
Best Festival for Emerging Talent
In association with Skiddle
Dot to Dot Festival
Line-Up of the Year
In association with Tuned In Travel
Liverpool Music Week
Best Festival Production
In association with PRG XL Video
Lost Village
Marketing Campaign of the Year
Kendal Calling with Tour.Media
The Innovation Award
In association with Transition Video
The Loop
Concession of the Year
Piecaramba!
Best Hospitality
In association with Pernod Ricard
Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park
The Outstanding Contribution to Festivals Award
Freddie Fellowes
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How streaming has changed the industry
In March this year, Ed Sheeran broke the UK singles chart top-20 record when, thanks to his streaming figures, his songs occupied 16 places in the list. It’s just one example of the dramatic way that streaming has changed the music industry.
At a time when sales of CDs and CD players were starting to decline, streaming suddenly emerged as the dominant way for people to consume their music. Record labels may have had to change what tracks they release, how they release them and how they market them, but in many cases streaming has kept them profitable. For some, like Warner Music Group, streaming has become the most important source of revenue. For others, it’s making them more money than ever before.
You might think that with the greater ease of access to music that streaming has brought about, that attendance at live events would be in decline. After all, attendance at cinemas is dwindling as people increasingly choose to watch films on their TVs, computers or smartphones. But in the case of live music, the opposite has happened. In fact, according to UK Music’s Wish You Were Here study, audience attendance at concerts and festivals in the UK is up to a record 30.9million annually. The live sector is one of the most vibrant and profitable parts of the music industry, and it is through ticket sales and merchandise that most musicians generate the majority of their revenue.
“Promoters understand the advantage they have over streaming services is that they offer not just music but an experience”
This may have something to do with the effect streaming has had on the profits of individual artists. Streaming has complicated the way they make money, and reduced the total amount they earn to the extent that some artists, such as Taylor Swift, have tried to boycott streaming altogether. Swift famously pulled her music off Spotify and refused to allow Apple to offer music from her latest album. It may have been a shrewd PR move (her eventual return to streaming was covered by every major newspaper and website) but it’s no secret that one of the challenges facing streaming services and record labels is appeasing and alleviating the fears of artists while still offering tracks cheaply to their customers.
It’s also to the credit of festival and concert organisers that they’ve thrived in the new musical environment. These organisers understand that the advantage they have over streaming services is that they offer not just music but an experience, and they’ve looked to improve all the elements that together make live music an experience, such as the stage design, the lighting and the pyrotechnics. At the same time, they’ve managed to keep the price of tickets at an affordable (though increasing) level. An all-day festival in the UK costs between £50 (€57) and £100 (€113); a single standing ticket to see Drake costs £110 (€125).
“Despite the improving health of the live music industry, for some festivals making a profit is no longer a given”
But can this model endure? With the proliferation of outdoor festivals comes the fact that the market is getting pretty saturated. There has been a sharp fall in the amount of money that is spent at smaller venues (those with a capacity below 1,500). In London, where costs are rising, licensing is strict and property developers wield a lot of power, these venues have declined in number by 35%.
With more and more festivals coming on stream, it is the artists who are benefiting most: they are now able to up their fees while different festivals compete to secure their presence. And despite the improving health of the live music industry on the whole, for some festivals, making a profit is no longer a given. One or two of the existing festivals are beginning to pull up stumps. This will be the last year of Secret Garden Party, for example, and there are rumours that other long established festivals might not appear next year.
As the figures show, live music has more than weathered the changes to the wider music industry. The live market has always been a valuable revenue generator for established artists, and this will always be the case. Nevertheless, the future may not look so bright for smaller festivals and small music venues. Their fate remains to be seen.
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