Ten UK music festivals have been cancelled, and the future of two more hangs in the balance, after events company Wannasee Ltd announced this week that “we’ve reached a point where continuing is no longer possible”.
In a statement, the festival promoter says that “the impact of a difficult trading environment, combined with a sudden collapse in customer confidence, has left the business unable to recover”.
“The past few weeks have seen extraordinary efforts behind the scenes to try and secure the future of our events”, the statement continues. But “sadly, despite every avenue being explored and every resource exhausted, we’ve reached a point where continuing is no longer possible”.
It’s no secret that operating independent music festivals has become very challenging since the COVID pandemic, with surging production costs coupled with a cost of living crisis that makes promoters nervous about hiking up ticket prices. In February, the Association Of Independent Festivals said “there have been 215 UK festival casualties since the pandemic”, and that number has only increased since then.
Events cancelled as a result of the collapse of Wannasee include the Kubix and Monument festivals in Sunderland, the Sign Of The Times festival in Hertfordshire, and three editions of the Stone Valley festival that were due to take place around the country. Acts already announced to play the 2025 editions of those festivals include Shaggy, Blue, Doves, Public Image Ltd and The Fratellis.
Wannasee also ran four festivals focused on tribute acts, two using the Wannasee name in Cumbria and Hertfordshire, and two under the Jukebox brand in Sunderland and Bingley. They are also all cancelled.
The two festivals that could also be impacted are the Lindisfarne Festival in Northumberland and Northern Kin festival in Country Durham. However, in its statement Wannasee says “positive discussions are currently underway that may preserve Lindisfarne Festival and Northern Kin, and we wish them all the very best”.
Another statement on Northern Kin’s social media adds, “In light of other updates, we wanted to let you all know that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure that this year’s Northern Kin Festival goes ahead, and that the long-term future of the festival that we all love is secured”.
“Although we are unable to respond to individual emails and messages at the moment”, it says, “we thank you all for your patience and we hope to have a full update for you as soon as possible”.
Wannasee’s statement also notes that the company “has delivered nearly 100 independent festivals over the past thirteen years - made possible by the hard work and passion of our team, the incredible support of artists, crews and suppliers, and most of all, the loyalty of our audience”. It then goes on, “we are proud of what we achieved and heartbroken to see it end this way”.
“To all of our ticket holders”, it concludes, “we are truly sorry. We understand your disappointment and frustration. Please contact your ticket provider or card issuer for refund information. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of this journey”.