UK’s longest running independent music festival to close

The oldest independent music festival in the UK has said it will not continue beyond this year due to spiralling costs.

Founded in the Oxfordshire village of Towersey by Denis Manners in 1965, Towersey Festival moved to Thame in 2015 and then to the Claydon Estate in Buckingham in 2020 and is currently run by Manners' grandchildren, co-Directors Mary Hodson and Joe Heap.

A statement issued by the pair said that recovering from the impact of the pandemic and economic challenges that have followed since then has been "all but impossible".

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"We have tenaciously interrogated every inch of our business and marketing strategies, and now, with advice from valued experts and friends, we have explored every possible way of remodelling the business to remain sustainable, but we are still in danger," the statement said.

"Without investment partnerships or a fundamental change to the character of the festival (or possibly without both), we have concluded that we will have to bow out after this year. We will continue to fight and endeavour to find a way of continuing to realise the hopes and dreams of our grandparents and founders, but it will not be through Towersey Festival anymore.

"We are proud of the massive contributions Towersey has made to charities, local causes, tourism and emerging artists. More importantly, we believe festivals like Towersey are crucial for creating better communities and societies and for finding hope and humanity in an otherwise challenging world.

"We will continue to do everything we can to hold onto the magic of this very special and important event, to deliver world class cultural inspiration, to breathe new life into the vision of our grandparents, and create even more opportunity for experiencing new ideas, music, dance, art, friendship and community.

Rising production costs

According to Music Week, 43 festivals have announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024, including Barn On The Farm, Bluedot, Splendour and Standon Calling.

The Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF) has said that 100 events could ultimately disappear as a result of rising production costs.

“Since the pandemic, the costs for putting on a festival have soared; ticket prices are going up to cover it,” said Matt Bates, Managing Partner and CEO of Primary Talent International.

“The artist wants more money because their crew, tour bus and production are costing more. It’s a vicious circle, and at some point, something will always have to give.”