I’m talking about music festivals. I can’t abide them and never could, even when I was a fresh-faced goth, with crimped hair, a tummy full of snakebite, and a sweet and trusting heart.
Still, noting that more British festivals have been forced to postpone or cancel, I feel an anxious clawing, not least because this slide has been going on for a while. In 2023, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) reported that one in six UK festivals had ended since the pandemic, numbers falling from 600 to under 500 (in 2019, government figures counted almost 1,000). Those most under threat are small/mid-size (grassroots) events. Some believe the UK is in danger of losing its status as a live music leader. Hence the unease. Whatever my view of music festivals, what would we do without them?
