(VIP-NEWS) — As of June 2024, the UK has seen 50 festivals both cancelled, postponed, or fully shut down, a major improve from the 40 festivals reported in Could, in line with the Affiliation of Impartial Festivals (AIF).
The most recent occasion to cancel its 2024 version is the Geronimo Pageant in Northwich, scheduled for August 23-26. This family-friendly competition, sometimes called “Glastonbury for kids” by the Every day Mirror, was extremely praised by British media.
The AIF warns that with out intervention, the UK may lose over 100 festivals in 2024 resulting from rising prices and monetary pressures. The full variety of UK festivals which have disappeared since 2019 has now reached 182. The impression of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the lack of 96 festivals in 2020 and 2021 alone.
John Rostron, CEO of the AIF, described the cancellation of Geronimo Pageant as “a regrettable milestone for the UK competition sector.” He emphasised that that is probably the most difficult time for unbiased festivals, which urgently want intervention from the incoming authorities. “Our analysis means that round 100 festivals will throw within the towel earlier than the tip of the yr and extra can be in danger by 2025 except there may be the monetary help they want,” Rostron stated.
In response to those challenges, the AIF launched the ‘5% for Festivals’ marketing campaign in February 2024, advocating for a brief VAT discount on competition tickets to assist promoters. The marketing campaign goals to boost consciousness amongst festival-goers concerning the difficulties confronted by promoters over the previous 5 years and encourages them to contact their native MPs to help a VAT discount on tickets. The AIF believes that lowering VAT on competition tickets from 20% to five% briefly will assist competition promoters rebuild.
At present, the marketing campaign has been paused because the UK prepares for a common election in early July. Nonetheless, the AIF continues to push for momentary fiscal help to save lots of the remaining festivals from closure.
The complete listing of misplaced festivals will be seen right here: Festivals Misplaced