Organisers of Mighty Hoopla have cancelled an edition due to take place in various venues across Malta in September because of expected disruption in the airline industry this summer, prompted by concerns regarding jet fuel supplies as the conflict continues in the Middle East.
In a statement, the festival says, “we have been in contact with airlines connected to Malta to understand the likely impact”. Those airlines “advised that fewer flights will be scheduled and that prices will likely go up”, which “leaves us in a very different position to when we first launched the event”.
Earlier this week Travel Pulse reported that, on average, the cost of flights this summer are up 12%.
Obviously those price increases are a much bigger deal for a festival where a significant portion of performers and attendees are planning on flying in for the event.
Mighty Hoopla’s statement continues, “please be assured this decision has not been taken lightly. We want to thank our partners on the island along with all the airline carriers who we have been in contact with and have given us valuable insight into the future, so we could make this informed decision sooner rather than later”.
The UK-based festival, now part of the Superstruct group, staged its first festival abroad in Malta last year, before launching an Australian edition in Sydney earlier this year. Sugababes, Beth Ditto, Jake Shears and Liberty X were among those due to play the second Malta edition.
Anyone who has bought a ticket for the cancelled festival will get an automatic refund. Organisers also hope to compensate festival-goers who will be out of pocket because they have already booked flights and accommodation in order to attend the event.
“If you do decide to cancel your trip to Malta”, organisers say, “we intend to offer compensation in the form of credit or refunds relating to our London festival or future shows. We know this won’t solve all the effort and time you have spent arranging your trip to Malta but we hope it will help”.