Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent

‘UK’s position as live music leader at stake’: nine festivals cancel amid rising costs

Crowds in front of a music stage with the words 'Standon Calling' above it.
This year’s Standon Calling festival has been postponed. Photograph: Matt Eachus/PA

When Standon Calling – the summer music festival during which 17,000 people descend on the Hertfordshire countryside to see headliners such as Bloc Party and Wolf Alice – announced this year would be postponed, it became the ninth festival for 2024 to cancel or call time for good.

The Association of Independent Festivals’ (AIF) CEO, John Rostron, has called for urgent government intervention to assist events hit by rising supply chain costs, debts incurred during the Covid pandemic and slower ticket sales, stymied further by the cost of living crisis.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.