It seems barely a week goes by without some worrying new stat about how tough it is for grassroots promoters and musicians. So here’s this week’s: since the pandemic 204 UK festivals have closed, been cancelled or quietly disappeared.
The figure comes from a new report from the Association for Independent Festivals (AIF) and it shows that if anything the problem is getting worse. Last year, 36 festivals were cancelled in the UK. In 2024 that figure doubled to 72.
