Talking of struggling festivals, the respective organisers of two of the UK's smaller festivals, Blissfields and Redfest, have announced that they are cancelling the events, due to poor ticket sales.
In a lengthy statement on the Blissfields website, its organisers said: "We are devastated to be in this position and could not have foreseen it, as we had planned an amazing weekend, and have had a very positive response from everyone we have talked to including the press, who have seen the quality we were offering this year. With such low sales, not only are the financial burdens for ourselves incredibly high but we would also not have been able to put on an event with the atmosphere and passion that we wanted our festival goers to have. After all the planning, such a drop in quality for you was not an option and the only decision open to us after seeking much advice was to can it off and minimise the pain to everyone involved. This was not a decision taken lightly and has involved much heartache and tears from us and the volunteers who put this event together. We cannot fault in any way the organisational capabilities of all involved and know that with the right sales in tickets we could have put on a joyous event this July!"
The Redfest organisers cut straight to the chase, saying simply: "We are truly sorry to those of you who have bought tickets and thank you all for your support".
Those who have bought tickets for either event should seek a refund at point of sale.