The United Kingdom Faces Many Cancellations Of Music Festivals

NASS Festival, one of the British music festivals (Instagram @nassfestival)

JAKARTA - When Indonesia began to revive with music festivals, different conditions occurred in the United Kingdom. They had to face many canceled music festivals.

The Covid pandemic, Brexit, war in Ukraine, and the cost of living crisis are touted as factors that contribute to the crisis that will occur at music festivals in the UK.

According to The Independent, several figures in the show industry say the trend of canceling festivals could be disastrous for the music sector in the UK if problems are not addressed immediately.

Some festivals are said to be experiencing budget problems and will not be held this year, including Bluedot, Standon Calling, and Barn on the Farm.

Meanwhile, other festivals such as the NASS Festival, Lollapallooza, and Long Division were permanently closed after last year's edition.

John Rostron, CEO of the Independent Festival Association (AIF), called for the need for urgent government intervention to further support events fighting the cost of living crisis, debts arising during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing supply chain costs, and selling slower tickets.

"We are really at a critical point for the festival sector in the UK," said John Rostron.

Five years ago, it was impossible to imagine that promoters would have to suffer the bad effects such as the Covid-19 pandemic. However, many of them experienced it, without burdening consumers of unavoidable costs, "said Rostron again.

Imagine that from then on, they had to manage the impact of Brexit, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and the energy crisis was a shocking thing. That festival visitors can enjoy some of the fantastic events they do in 2023 are proof of the resilience and enthusiasm of the promoters.

According to AIF, 36 festivals were completely closed or postponed last year. About 100 festivals have disappeared since the peak of the music festival in 2019, when there were about 600 events taking place across the UK.

AIF also launched a new campaign calling for a reduction in VAT on festival tickets, which he said would save many event promoters from closing in 2024.

Furthermore, Jamie Tagg, Director of London's popular Mighty Hoopla Festival, said the latest reports suggest that organizers should start working and talk more collectively.

The suppliers know that they are superior in terms of price offerings in this market. Many suppliers went bankrupt during the pandemic so that some (not all) took advantage of this to increase their costs," said Jamie Tagg.

If we can break down the walls and have transparency about costs, it will be very helpful. The festival is too often stopped at the last minute if there are better offers, and this forces small and medium festivals to really suffer," he said.