Photo Credit: Africa Oyé
Liverpool’s Africa Oyé is the first UK festival to announce a postponement, cancellation, or complete closure in 2025. The festival’s artistic director says rising costs of 30% or more as unworkable.
“With increased infrastructure and compliance costs, it is simply a case that without major investment to cover the costs of delivering a festival of this size safely, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the event in 2025,” says Paul Duhaney. The festival will postpone its 2025 edition and hopefully return for 2026.
The total number of UK festivals that have disappeared since 2019 has now risen to 211. The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has campaigned for a temporary lowering of VAT on festival tickets from 20% down to just 5% to help organizers recover. A reduction of the VAT would save most events that have closed, the AIF believes. Yet despite the campaigning, the UK government has yet to respond.
“Last year was one of the most turbulent times for the UK’s festival market with a record number of events disappearing from the calendar despite strong sales,” adds AIF CEO John Rostron. “Festival promoters are used to working with fine margins, but they have been eroded to near zero since the pandemic with skyrocketing costs compounded by the impact of Brexit on some elements of the live music sector. This problem will not ease without direct Government support.”
“Without intervention, the UK will keep losing these successful businesses and cultural cornerstones of communities all over the country.”
The AIF is the UK’s leading national not-for-profit festival trade association that represents the interests of 145 UK music festivals. They range from capacity of 500 to 80,000—quite the spectrum of live event sizes. AIF festivals collectively reach over 3.3 million people each year and include some of the most successful festival sin the UK—GreenBelt, Mighty Hoopla, Deershed, End of the Road, Notting Hilll Carnival, Pitchfork London, Field Manuevers, We Out Here, and many more.