(VIP-NEWS) — As of June 2024, the UK has seen 50 festivals either cancelled, postponed, or completely shut down, a significant increase from the 40 festivals reported in May, according to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
The latest event to cancel its 2024 edition is the Geronimo Festival in Northwich, scheduled for August 23-26. This family-friendly festival, often referred to as “Glastonbury for children” by the Daily Mirror, was highly praised by British media.
The AIF warns that without intervention, the UK could lose over 100 festivals in 2024 due to rising costs and financial pressures. The total number of UK festivals that have disappeared since 2019 has now reached 182. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the loss of 96 festivals in 2020 and 2021 alone.
John Rostron, CEO of the AIF, described the cancellation of Geronimo Festival as “a regrettable milestone for the UK festival sector.” He emphasized that this is the most challenging time for independent festivals, which urgently need intervention from the incoming government. “Our research suggests that around 100 festivals will throw in the towel before the end of the year and more will be at risk by 2025 unless there is the financial support they need,” Rostron said.
In response to these challenges, the AIF launched the ‘5% for Festivals’ campaign in February 2024, advocating for a temporary VAT reduction on festival tickets to help promoters. The campaign aims to raise awareness among festival-goers about the difficulties faced by promoters over the past five years and encourages them to contact their local MPs to support a VAT reduction on tickets. The AIF believes that reducing VAT on festival tickets from 20% to 5% temporarily will help festival promoters rebuild.
Currently, the campaign has been paused as the UK prepares for a general election in early July. However, the AIF continues to push for temporary fiscal support to save the remaining festivals from closure.
The full list of lost festivals can be seen here: Festivals Lost
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