(VIP-NEWS) — As of June 2024, the UK has seen 50 festivals both cancelled, postponed, or fully shut down, a big enhance from the 40 festivals reported in Might, in keeping with the Affiliation of Impartial Festivals (AIF).

The newest occasion to cancel its 2024 version is the Geronimo Competition in Northwich, scheduled for August 23-26. This family-friendly pageant, also known as “Glastonbury for youngsters” by the Day by day Mirror, was extremely praised by British media.

The AIF warns that with out intervention, the UK may lose over 100 festivals in 2024 as a consequence of rising prices and monetary pressures. The entire 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 Competition as “a regrettable milestone for the UK pageant sector.” He emphasised that that is essentially the most difficult time for impartial festivals, which urgently want intervention from the incoming authorities. “Our analysis means that round 100 festivals will throw within the towel earlier than the top of the 12 months and extra will likely be in danger by 2025 except there may be the monetary assist they want,” Rostron stated.

In response to those challenges, the AIF launched the ‘5% for Festivals’ marketing campaign in February 2024, advocating for a short lived VAT discount on pageant tickets to assist promoters. The marketing campaign goals to lift consciousness amongst festival-goers in regards to the difficulties confronted by promoters over the previous 5 years and encourages them to contact their native MPs to assist a VAT discount on tickets. The AIF believes that lowering VAT on pageant tickets from 20% to five% briefly will assist pageant promoters rebuild.

At present, the marketing campaign has been paused because the UK prepares for a normal election in early July. Nonetheless, the AIF continues to push for non permanent fiscal assist to avoid wasting the remaining festivals from closure.

The total listing of misplaced festivals may be seen right here: Festivals Misplaced