a big UK festi has been cancelled today..?

[jump]

Global Gathering would be my best guess, a few day short of being a month from the event and not heard anything from them in a while.

[eFestivals]

just to make it clear, I'm not aware of any festival that's about to cancel.

[Ed209]

so what was the bump about?

[LondonTom]

Also a tweet of "uh oh"

Wa gawn?

[jump]

I also remember when Soni was cancelled he alluded to it being cancelled and then went tight lipped untill it was official.

[Ed209]

me thinks Neil might know something we don't, and by the look of his reaction, it could be a big one.

[zahidf]

http://www.thestoolpigeon.co.uk/features/death-of-the-music-festival-is-the-gold-rush-over.html

Article out today on festivals in trouble generally.

Guess we'll find out one way or the other. Hop farm tickets still on sale, as are latitude ones. Reading just announed more acts today.

[dingbat2]

Glastonbury 2013 cancelled due to poor ticket sales for this years festival

[jump]

http://www.thestoolp...-rush-over.html

Article out today on festivals in trouble generally.

Guess we'll find out one way or the other. Hop farm tickets still on sale, as are latitude ones. Reading just announed more acts today.

[zahidf]

“Loads of kids have never heard of The Astoria, or Mean Fiddler II, or The Luminaire, and loads of them who’re just waking up to music now will have never heard of Sonisphere or the Big Chill. And that’s how it should be. That’s how the conveyor belt of death works.”

I didn't even hear The Luminaire closed down, not surpirsed tho. It wasn't a great venue, never really had anyone decent on and was a pain to get to.

[eFestivals]

me thinks Neil might know something we don't, and by the look of his reaction, it could be a big one.

just to make it clear, I'm not aware of any festival that's about to cancel.

which part of that was so difficult to understand?

I'm not telling porkies.

Edited June 26, 2012 by eFestivals

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

which part of that was so difficult to understand?

I'm not telling porkies.

[Ed209]

So what was it about then? Or did you just fancy resurrecting this thread with hmmmm *shock*, and doing a random tweet that said uh oh

have you gone mental, Neil?

[eFestivals]

what I was at-first thinking from what I'd been told wasn't what it was.

That's the trouble with the cryptic stuff that comes our way sometimes.

[Ed209]

fair enough

Do you think any of the big three could be in trouble (TITP, V and Reading/Leeds), or is it too far down the line for them for this year.

none of them have sold out, that's got to worry them. Particularly in a year when Glasto wasn't even on.

[eFestivals]

Do you think any of the big three could be in trouble (TITP, V and Reading/Leeds), or is it too far down the line for them for this year.

I hate questions like this as they could put me in an impossible spot. As a result I'll answer this, but then refer any further questions like this to this post - for people to see in advance of their question that I've decided to not get into these sorts of questions.

Anyway, no, I don't think any of those could be in trouble. While one or more might have noticeably reduced ticket sales this year (I don't know if they do or not, I don't have any reliable way to get a handle on ticket sales), I'd say that the standing of the companies involved means they won't get pulled.

none of them have sold out, that's got to worry them. Particularly in a year when Glasto wasn't even on.

This year is a mightily strange year, that's for sure.

From where I'm sat there doesn't appear to be any sort of trend to whether a festival sells well or not. About the only noticeable trend is with the 'big wide-themed festivals' (the ones you named above, plus perhaps a few more) where there's clearly a lower demand for them all than there's been in recent years - and yet any small changes in the directions they've gone musically don't seem to be a part of what's behind it across them all.

It must be disappointing for those fests, cos I'd guess that in a non-Glasto year they'd normally expect to benefit.

I'd say there's one or more than one of these things are the cause of this year's lower demand:-

- the Olympics. People have decided to spend their money on that instead.

- the recession. People don't have the money to spend.

- the weather. Glasto 2008 got to show what effect the previous summer's weather can have. Last year was dreadful, the first time in 13 years I've got properly rained on at every festival I went to (8 in all). With the sun yet to shine this summer people aren't thinking how nice it would be to spend the weekend outside at festival.

- too few bands. The lack of Glasto combined with the Olympics seems to have had some bands decide to skip the UK completely this summer (with many still doing Europe but not the UK). This has led to some people seeing some line-ups as weaker than normal (whether they really are or not depends on a person's tastes).

- the fashion for festivals has lessened. From where i'm sat I've noticed a reduction in demand for all of the big wide themed festivals over the last few years, even tho they've (mostly) continued to sell out.

Whatever it is, I very much hope it's a one-year blip, and everything will be back to something around normal next summer.

And I guess, the tough market perhaps doesn't have to be seen as all bad. It might (I've no one in mind!) shake a few of the less-good operators out of the game, and have the better ones up their own game - and if that happens that's great for festival goers and the festival scene as a whole.

And hopefully the idea that it's easy to run a successful festival which has brought so many of those into doing festivals can be put back away as the myth it is for a few years at least.

[eFestivals]

while what I say above it true - that I don't know of a festival that is/was about to be cancelled - there was something going on (I'm not going into details).

Latest info is that everything will get resolved, so that's excellent.

[Purple Monkey]

Soarring ticket prices, target audience are now beyond skint, battles against touts, samey lineups, and weather that has been consistently abysmal for five years on the trot.

[kaosmark2]

Soarring ticket prices, target audience are now beyond skint, battles against touts, samey lineups, and weather that has been consistently abysmal for five years on the trot.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

while what I say above it true - that I don't know of a festival that is/was about to be cancelled - there was something going on (I'm not going into details).

Latest info is that everything will get resolved, so that's excellent.

[eFestivals]

Reckon Rob Da Bank heard the same thing?

I hate questions like this as they could put me in an impossible spot. As a result I'll answer this, but then refer any further questions like this to this post - for people to see in advance of their question that I've decided to not get into these sorts of questions.

[grumpyhack]

I don't wish the demise of any festival. Even if one is not for me it doesn't mean that others won't enjoy it. But coming back from the Isle of Wight most people I spoke to on the ferry were saying 'never again.' I kept trying to say don't judge all festivals by what you've just been to - most are well organised and with well planned contingency plans.

I do wonder, however, whether we'll see an IoW 2013.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I don't wish the demise of any festival. Even if one is not for me it doesn't mean that others won't enjoy it. But coming back from the Isle of Wight most people I spoke to on the ferry were saying 'never again.' I kept trying to say don't judge all festivals by what you've just been to - most are well organised and with well planned contingency plans.

I do wonder, however, whether we'll see an IoW 2013.

[kaosmark2]

I think the market's saturated, at least in terms of big festivals. With them being overpriced, and the lineups being incredibly repetitive at the bigger festivals, I can't see how they can all survive. Also, it's been a fad, and a fad related to the style of pop music played on radio 1 for the last 8-10 years (indie landfill). There was always going to be a few collapsing, and the surviving ones under pressure to reduce prices and offer more. I think the ones that remain will be better for it, but it is a shame that some will go.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I think the market's saturated, at least in terms of big festivals. With them being overpriced, and the lineups being incredibly repetitive at the bigger festivals, I can't see how they can all survive. Also, it's been a fad, and a fad related to the style of pop music played on radio 1 for the last 8-10 years (indie landfill). There was always going to be a few collapsing, and the surviving ones under pressure to reduce prices and offer more. I think the ones that remain will be better for it, but it is a shame that some will go.