Why music festivals are having to adapt to survive

As music festivals continue to either be cancelled or face an uncertain future as costs rise, organisers have said they are having to adapt to survive. Fuel prices increasing due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East are one of the biggest concerns as summer arrives.

WOMAD director Chris Smith also said there had been a "massive change" with "big multinationals hoovering up large sections of the industry".

But some events, such as the new Summerfest at the Beach in Weston-super-Mare, appear to have bucked the trend and tickets are selling fast.

In 2024, the BBC reported that at least 36 UK festivals announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024.

In recent years the West has lost Tokyo World in Bristol, NASS in Somerset and Gloucestershire's Nibley Festival due to financial pressures.

Womad Festival (World of Music, Arts and Dance) is to be held at Neston Park, Corsham, for the first time this year.

Smith said independent festivals had to constantly adapt to changing situations.

"We took a year out last year and the big change for us has been to reconfigure and reshape to give us security going forward.

"The response so far from our audience has been extraordinary. We've had the highest sales we've ever had coming back on a new site with a different configuration that is more sustainable in the longer term.

"We have also just confirmed that our main stage will be powered by renewables, so Ecotricity will be providing huge solar batteries - so we've just had a huge saving in diesel," he said.

Summerfest will take place in June, featuring acts including Sister Sledge, Craig David and Dizzee Rascal.

The event draws inspiration from the former T4 on the Beach, which was held at the resort.

Organiser Ian Rogers said the new festival aims to capture a similar sense of nostalgia while appealing to modern audiences.

"We knew there was a demand for something like this," he said, after more than 46,000 people registered interest online ahead of ticket sales.

Despite early interest, challenges remain.

Rogers said: "Even now we've been impacted significantly over February and March with the crisis in the Middle East."

The cost of fuel is one of the festival's challenges, he said.

"Everything is bought in by transport, by big lorries, so that has increased our costs."

Director of the Shindig Festival in Wiltshire, Simon Clarke, said planning the 2026 event was "not easy" as fuel prices were changing almost daily.

Like many others, the event uses diesel generators to power production, sound systems, lighting and food stalls.

Clarke said Shindig usually buys about 12,000 to 15,000 litres of diesel, which already costs tens of thousands of pounds.

"Because our event is in several weeks, it's too difficult for us to swap [to another fuel source], so we're stuck with diesel," he said.

"We can't change the plans that much, I'm afraid."

The festival will run from 21 May to 24 May at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury.

Despite higher running costs, Clarke said organisers were "very guarded" about protecting ticket prices.

"To put the ticket price up to the customer wouldn't be an option to us.

"I think the main thing we're working on is selling more tickets," he said.

Javeon McCarthy from Big Team CIC, a social enterprise which helps supports festivals to create more accessible and inclusive spaces, said financial pressures for customers are not just from the tickets alone — these pressures can include transport, food and drink at the venue.

"It might not be worth it for some people because it means that it puts them behind financially, " he said.

"All the lessons in any business are in year one," Rogers said as he and his team prepared for Summerfest.

He added he had developed a model that relied on multiple revenue streams, including sponsorship, food vendors and bar sales, rather than ticket income alone.

The Weston-super-Mare event was created after the local tourism board approached organisers, hoping to reintroduce a major music event to the area.

Up to 40,000 people are licensed to attend, although organisers expect between 20,000 and 25,000 in its first year.

Success in the first year would be measured by covering costs and understanding the local audience, with plans to grow the festival in future years, they added.

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