festivals cancel dues to poor ticket sales , is this the writing on the wall ??

[Big durbs]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-61534833

[crazyfool1]

No 

[kalifire]

Is the writing on the for Glastonbury, do you mean? No, but as cost of living increases it will increasingly become a festival for people who can afford it. 

[zico martin]

1 minute ago, kalifire said:

Is the writing on the for Glastonbury, do you mean? No, but as cost of living increases it will increasingly become a festival for people who can afford it. 

As with every other non-essential thing in life.

[dotdash79]

I would expect to see a thining of events particularly the smaller more corporate events. Those that can create a niche or give a special experience should be fine. 

[stuie]

16 minutes ago, Big durbs said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-61534833

Inaugural festival with weak lineup has poor ticket sales.

Theres no writing on Glastonbury’s wall. 

 

[efcfanwirral]

7 minutes ago, dotdash79 said:

I would expect to see a thining of events particularly the smaller more corporate events. Those that can create a niche or give a special experience should be fine. 

Yeah and those with loyal fans - likes of Kendal etc

[efcfanwirral]

Would probably help to get some lineups out before Christmas like many did this year, tickets as presents or spending Christmas money on them. 

[Mark_safc]

Have to be honest...it was surprisingly easy this year in the resales to get tickets for Glastonbury. Everyone who I know thst tried got one and it has never been like that.

On the plus side...it should mean that the next few years should be easier to secure tickets for those who can afford to go. 

It could well be the writing on the wall for some of the smaller festivals but Glastonbury will always sell out.

[Leyrulion]

Not particularly, Glasto still sold out even through the worst economic recession of the last 80 years in 2008-10. 

[efcfanwirral]

7 minutes ago, Mark_safc said:

Have to be honest...it was surprisingly easy this year in the resales to get tickets for Glastonbury. Everyone who I know thst tried got one and it has never been like that.

On the plus side...it should mean that the next few years should be easier to secure tickets for those who can afford to go. 

It could well be the writing on the wall for some of the smaller festivals but Glastonbury will always sell out.

Will be interesting to see what October is like - I put the ease down to people's lives/interests etc changing over the 2 and a half years at this point

[st dan]

For me, the cost of living rises actually make festivals seem much more appealing and even greater value for money. Especially if they have several acts on the line up that i want to see. 
I would start to prioritise them over gigs if/when the time comes. 

[Mark_safc]

35 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

Will be interesting to see what October is like - I put the ease down to people's lives/interests etc changing over the 2 and a half years at this point

Potentially a lot of people were / are still living in fear as well. I'm sure a lot of people will have thought to give this year a miss and hopefully next year would be a lot 'safer' covid wise.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Baffled that the promise of Midge Ure and the remnants of Big Country wasn't enough to lure people to the mad, mental Lang Toun.

[efcfanwirral]

16 minutes ago, Mark_safc said:

Potentially a lot of people were / are still living in fear as well. I'm sure a lot of people will have thought to give this year a miss and hopefully next year would be a lot 'safer' covid wise.

That's very true didn't think of that! 

[incident]

I do think that ticket sales are down across the board this year. This isn't the first festival to cancel (Bigfoot, off the top of my head, and there's been others), and it won't be the last. A lot of events that you'd expect to be sold out especially after rolling over 2 years worth of tickets aren't. As mentioned the resale was nowhere near as brutal as expected/usual.

But ultimately - it's partially because the market has become too saturated. The events that are suffering most are the ones that don't distinguish themselves in any way - the interchangeable Superstruct type events or similar. Those that have found a niche and/or a regular audience still seem to be doing OK, and Glastonbury in a sense covers all niches.

I do think it's possible that in the near future we see a 2008 style year or two where doesn't Glastonbury not sell out (I know they claim it was, but I don't buy that), but even in a "bad" year they'll still sell a shitload of tickets (90%+) and I know that after that scare they changed the structure somewhat so that they're not quite as reliant on sell-outs. Just enjoy the chance to not struggle for tickets, and to maybe introduce friends who can't be arsed with the ticket hassle.

[squirrelarmy]

One relatively unknown festival in a small Scottish town being cancelled doesn’t mean the party is over for festivals. 
 

Festivals have been cancelled in the past for any number of reasons. Some of the smaller events may struggle but on the whole outdoor partying with live music will always exist in some form or another. 
 

People performing music for other people is a deep routed part of human culture. Festivals will adapt to what ever the current socio-economic environment at the time. They will always continue though. 

[Big durbs]

2 hours ago, kalifire said:

Is the writing on the for Glastonbury, do you mean? No, but as cost of living increases it will increasingly become a festival for people who can afford it. 

i dont think its an issue for Glasto , but it is a issue for other fests that we all enjoy between the reak festival 

[Earth_pig]

Nah but some people will be priced out of Glasto if they haven't already been .

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, Mark_safc said:

Have to be honest...it was surprisingly easy this year in the resales to get tickets for Glastonbury. Everyone who I know thst tried got one and it has never been like that.

Well I was in a very tightly organised resale group with some of the most regular posters here and whilst some members did very well getting through and across both resales the group as a whole got a fabulous percentage, not everyone was as successful as you. I think a couple of the remainder chose to volunteer and one was left at the mercy of the competition thread. 

Don't be complacent about the difficulty because after a two year delay the resale pool was likely bigger (due to life changes) and didn't necessarily get the mass of publicity in the wider world that it has some years. 

[March Hare]

The festivals I’ve been to offer something different or a really strong line up e.g. Green Man and End of the Road.

I agree with @Big durbs for festivals that don’t do anything unique. They’ll fail as we feel the pinch.

Diesel bill for Glastonbury 2019 vs 2022 has gone from £50 to £80.  I expect meals to costs £1-2 more than 2019 - that’s another £30. This adds up. Next year I’ll do 3 festivals instead of the 4 I did/do in 2021 and 2022.  The least impressive will get the chop 😂

For some it will mean they don’t try for Glastonbury in October 

Edited May 21 by March Hare

[Suprefan]

Unless its something on the level like Isle of Wight or Latitude having a cancellation cause of poor sales its not going to be an issue for Glasto. Something by Festival Republic not happening is difficult to see cause Live Nation has their hands in that. Glasto certainly is financially vulnerable because they arent a promoter or anything of the sort and put on a handful of their own events each year to keep things going.

[Havors]

1 hour ago, incident said:

I do think that ticket sales are down across the board this year. This isn't the first festival to cancel (Bigfoot, off the top of my head, and there's been others), and it won't be the last. A lot of events that you'd expect to be sold out especially after rolling over 2 years worth of tickets aren't. As mentioned the resale was nowhere near as brutal as expected/usual.

But ultimately - it's partially because the market has become too saturated. The events that are suffering most are the ones that don't distinguish themselves in any way - the interchangeable Superstruct type events or similar. Those that have found a niche and/or a regular audience still seem to be doing OK, and Glastonbury in a sense covers all niches.

I do think it's possible that in the near future we see a 2008 style year or two where doesn't Glastonbury not sell out (I know they claim it was, but I don't buy that), but even in a "bad" year they'll still sell a shitload of tickets (90%+) and I know that after that scare they changed the structure somewhat so that they're not quite as reliant on sell-outs. Just enjoy the chance to not struggle for tickets, and to maybe introduce friends who can't be arsed with the ticket hassle.

I'd go out on a limb and say glasto will never not sell out again as long as the festival doesn't change in any significant way. Its become something more than it ever was over the last 10 years and festivals are more popular than they ever have been. With glasto being the holy grail. 

Even with the cost of living crisis. 

[Tranquility of Solitude]

Going to be controversial here, particularly to our Scottish efesters..... I live roughly 10 miles from this cancelled festival. I love music, and festivals, but would not, under any circumstances, go to one in my own country. T in the Park was a complete no go area for me, and I suspect this would have been similar. Far too many people up here are incapable of going to an event like this, enjoying a few drinks, and maintaining common decency. They become far too aggressive, obnoxious, and just horrible. One of the best things about Glastonbury, that sort of behaviour is in a very small minority. 
i could also list a few stadium concerts up here, that shamefully had a similar vibe to them. Stones at Murrayfield, Springsteen at Hamden.... 

Sorry fellow Scots, but it’s my view.

[gigpusher]

As others have said I think if cost of living crisis continues and we enter another full blown recession as is predicted then Glastonbury will survive just fine as it has so many more people who want to go than can actually go  but it does probably mean a lot of the smaller festivals will struggle as people probably go to 1 or 2 instead of 3 or 4.