28: Why has the festival bubble burst?

With festival season over, it's time we investigated a story
that’s been on our minds all year: has the bubble burst? In March
it was reported that 21 UK festivals had already cancelled,
postponed or closed in 2024. By the end of summer that number had
risen to over 50.


Industry bodies blame rising costs, which is doubtless a factor –
but what else might be at play here? A small cluster of dominant
companies contributing to an oversaturated festival landscape,
perhaps? Or are festivals simply falling foul of the strategy
they’ve employed for years: pushing up live fees to price out
their competition?


More importantly, how many of these events are actually any good?


For positivity’s sake we also spend some time shouting out the
festivals we loved this year. Turns out that with clever booking
and some attention to detail, you can still put on events that
offer an alternative to the homogeny.


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