Festivals continue to have a rocky ride, particularly independents – but why exactly are festivals forced to cancel, why should we care, and what can we do about it?
Our Production Manager Cornelia Hammarlund delves into the issue for Broke Magazine. Do give it a read and share with others – even the smallest learnings can have a positive impact for events going forward.
You can read the article below or online at Broke Magazine.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely you love going to festivals: you love music, the arts, and dancing all day and night with your friends in a field.
So do I – so much so, that I have spent the last nine years bringing these incredible places to life. I work for independent festival production company, The Fair. This Summer, we’re bringing the likes of Maiden Voyage, Jazz Café Festival and Labyrinth on the Thames to life in London, while working across a vast range of other festivals in the UK and US.
The danger of independent culture’s collapse is becoming increasingly prevalent in the headlines. Question marks loom over the survival of clubs and festivals, with jungle DJ SHERELLE stating that clubbing has become “a luxury” in a recent BBC Documentary. Artists have taken to the stage to voice their concerns, with The Last Dinner Party and Ezra Collective among acts to raise the issue while receiving Brit Awards earlier this year. Similarly, in the world of festivals, independence is struggling to survive, and the fact of the matter is this: if we carry on losing independent festivals and venues at the rate we have over the last few years, there could soon be few left to fight for.
It’s a terrifying thought, for people like me building these shows, for people like you, who gain so much from them, and for the rest of the nation, who benefit so much from festivals – sometimes without even realising (we’ll get to that shortly…)
Whether you go to festivals each summer, once in a blue moon, or absolutely no festivals at all, your input matters. Here’s a breakdown of why independent culture needs support and how you can keep it thriving – hopefully for years to come.
How many festivals have cancelled in recent years?
Music festivals have faced a tough time since the pandemic. We have lost 249 music festivals since 2019, as documented by the Association of Independent Festivals [AIF], with a total of 39 UK festivals lost this year alone.
So, what is happening, and why do we continue losing festivals?
This is down to multiple factors, that vary for each festival. But common factors include:
The supply chain (how much for toilets?)
The supply chain that creates these music festivals changed drastically post-Covid and won’t ever go back to what it was pre-pandemic. That spans across all resources needed – from the equipment required to build it and the fuel used to run generators, to the artists who come to perform and the staff working at the event across a wide range of roles.
Of course, this means an increase in cost for the organisers across the board. Toilets at festivals might not be sexy, but they’re vital, and the exact same toilets hired for a London music festival in 2019 had increased by 111% in 2024. That’s an astronomical increase in cost for an independent organiser to swallow.
Cost of living
With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, people have less money left in their pocket to spend on cultural experiences. So, organisers who face huge increases in cost have their hands tied, because they can’t pass on all costs to their attendees. If they do, they won’t sell as many tickets…
Last-minute-tickets (they sound like a good idea, but actually…)
We completely get it: you want to check what the weather will be like, wait to see what artists other festivals will announce, or simply don’t have the cash to buy tickets early in the year.
Unfortunately, last-minute-ticket-buying can have a significant impact on festivals.
Organisers need to pay deposits to secure equipment and staff to run the festivals. An imbalance in cashflow and inability to book artists or secure kit needed, can force organisers to cancel or postpone the event.
Why should we care? Why is it important to save independent festivals?
Festivals offer a diverse range of experiences, as highlighted by NTIA’s Night Time Economy Report for 2024. A survey of 36,000 festival-goers conducted for the DCMS Committee in 2021 revealed that people highly value the mental health benefits, the opportunity to forge wider friendship groups, and the feeling of being surrounded by like-minded individuals that festivals provide. The UK Music report noted that 6.5 million music fans had unforgettable experiences at UK festivals in 2022.
Additionally, festivals significantly boost the UK economy, contributing £1.75 billion in 2019, as recorded by AIF. The wider UK’s live music industry exceeded £6 billion for the first time in 2023, as found by LIVE, with live music supporting jobs for nearly 230,000 people in the same year.
Critically, independent festivals support emerging artists and provide spaces for them to share their music, in cases where they might struggle to secure a slot at a larger festival. When is the last time you saw an artist head straight to a headline slot? They often perform at multiple independent festivals to build their presence first. Fans also benefit from this – enjoying a plethora of acts, and often for the same price as a ticket to see one artist perform.
Is anything being done about it?
Thankfully, there are people, organisations and initiatives out there, working hard to support the survival of independent festivals and culture.
Our whole team at The Fair are huge advocates for the industry – pushing change through campaigns such as Your Festival Needs You (supported by the likes of Craig David and Girls Don’t Sync) and our documentary, It Takes a Village, which shows just how much work goes into building festivals, but also how much we all get out of them. Let’s Talk is our latest initiative, which invites people from across the music, festival and events industry to come together and find solutions that will keep the industry thriving.
Noticed a crew touring the nation in a fire truck on your feed, throwing parties across the UK? That’s Save Our Scene UK (SOS) – another incredible organisation working hard with the Music Venue Trust (MVT) to support grassroots music venues, fundraising and raising awareness. You will have likely seen them throwing parties at the likes of Dryad Works in Sheffield, Amber’s in Manchester and AAJA Radio in London, gathering support, highlighting the issue and driving an accessible, sustainable future for attendees, artists, festivals and venues.
Additionally, earlier this year, the UK government announced they are injecting £60 million into the creative sector, which aims to break down barriers, create jobs, and spread opportunities across the country. But the creative sector is vast, and even this amount is not enough to keep independent festivals afloat. The team at AIF is still lobbying the UK government to do more. They are calling for a Music Festival Tax Relief, modelled on existing Theatre and Orchestra Tax Reliefs, that would support smaller festivals, with relief on essential creative costs.
What can you as a reader do to help?
It may sound like a lot of doom and gloom, but there these organisations show that there is hope. What’s more, is that there are still a number of actions you can take to support positive change for independent culture.
- Chose independent festivals
Doing your research here is key. Find shows that attract your interest, that are also independent! You can have a look at this list of incredible independent music festivals, to have a look at some great options.
- Secure your tickets as early as possible
If you know you want to go to a music festival this year, buy your ticket as soon as is comfortable for you. Many festivals now offer pay plans which support both attendees and organisers, and can support festivals in going ahead.
- Spread the word about what’s going on
Talk about this issue with your mates. Share this article with them. Encourage them to think about independent culture.
- Stay in the loop
This will enable you to keep in the know about the latest initiatives, campaigns and events fighting for independent culture. We recommend following organisations such as:
- Music Venues Trust: a UK charity dedicated to protecting, securing, and improving grassroots music venues. It provides support to help venues stay open and thrive. Without these culturally important venues, our music landscape would look totally different.
- Save Our Scene UK: The SOS team travel up and down the country in their fire truck (yes, fire truck), hosting events all over the country. Why not head to one of their raves to raise awareness and support venues that need it most?
- AIF: it’s the UK’s leading trade body representing independent music festivals, offering advocacy, resources, and networking opportunities. It campaigns a lot about the big challenges we’re facing. They ensure that the voices of independents music festivals are heard in the wider industry.
- NTIA: The Night Time Industries Association represents businesses operating in the UK’s nighttime economy, such as clubs, bars, festivals, and live music venues. It campaigns on key issues whilst promoting the economic value of nightlife in the UK. They also provide industry legal guidance and networking opportunities to help relevant businesses thrive.
The Fair: self-nom or not, we will keep independent culture on your radar.
Interested in working with The Fair? Find out more about our services or get in touch.
