More than 100 festivals are set to disappear from the UK in 2024, according to research by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF). Among them are "familiar and longstanding names" on the UK festival scene like Barn on the Farm, Shindig and Neighbourhood Weekender, which are among the casualties to withdraw from the festival calendar this year, Music Week reported.
Even as headline-grabbing heavyweights like Glastonbury are busier than ever, smaller independent festival organisers and performers alike are struggling to make ends meet.
Why are organisers struggling?
The festival industry is in an extremely perilous state due to the "triple whammy" of Covid, Brexit and inflation, said The Guardian.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Perhaps the biggest issue, said Music Week, are problems with the supply chain and subsequent soaring costs. Festival organisers who were forced to sell equipment during the pandemic have, in many cases, have been forced to take out loans to buy it back. Concerns about "bad debts" have meant suppliers are increasingly insisting that organisers pay 100% of the cost up front.
The "shifting landscape" of live music since the pandemic hasn't helped, said NME. Festivals are struggling to appeal to younger generations who missed out on their first festival experience during lockdowns and are now reluctant or unable to stump up the pricey ticket costs.
Why is it getting harder for artists?
Rising costs mean performers as well as attendees are also being "priced out" of festivals, said the BBC. Comics at the Edinburgh Fringe have complained hefty accommodation costs and venue fees are blocking emerging talent from being able to participate, as they're unlikely to break even.
With total costs to take part in the Fringe amounting to anywhere between £7,000 and £22,000, reported The Guardian, artists are taking "extreme measures" to fund their shows from selling photos on OnlyFans to being infected by malaria for medical trials.
Others are turning down opportunities altogether; Nadine Shah opted not to play at Glastonbury this year because of the low fee and her lack of televised coverage. The Mercury-nominated singer took to X to explain her decision: "It's just a reality that playing live is super expensive and if you can justify the costs (like being on telly and having a wider reach) then sometimes you take the hit. Otherwise no, we've all bills to pay."
Is anything being done about it?
The AIF is lobbying the government for a temporary VAT cut on festival tickets from 20% to 5% for the next three years, said Music Week, and there's been a "pushback" on rising artist fees with festivals like Secret Garden Party dropping a headliner in order to support emerging talent.
Without "urgent help and investment", co-founder of Barn on the Farm Oscar Matthews told NME, only big festivals like Reading & Leeds will weather the storm, while smaller festivals will continue to postpone dates or disappear altogether.
-
Roblox, one of the world's most popular video games, has become a bastion of hate speechThe Explainer The platform has over 111 million daily users
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
Did Trump just push India into China's arms?Today's Big Question Tariffs disrupt American efforts to align with India
-
Roblox, one of the world's most popular video games, has become a bastion of hate speech
The Explainer The platform has over 111 million daily users
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July moviesthe week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
Why passkeys are the next frontier in digital securityThe Explainer A disruptive new technology promises to put passwords to bed forever — but not yet
-
5 password habits that put you at riskThe Explainer These common — and understandable — password shortcuts are a hacker's dream
-
America's favorite fast food restaurantsThe Explainer There are different ways of thinking about how Americans define how they most like to spend their money on burgers, tacos and fried chicken
-
3 varied alternatives to X for when you simply cannot with the new iteration of TwitterThe Explainer These competing microblogging sites have struggled to catch up to Elon Musk's market behemoth
-
What to know about Real IDs, America's new identification cardsThe Explainer People without a Real ID cannot board a commercial flight as of May 7, 2025
-
Inside the contested birth years of generationsThe Explainer Battles over where Gen Z ends and Gens Alpha and Beta begin remain ongoing
