Features / micro-festivals
Is this the future of festivals?
It’s undeniable that the UK festival landscape is changing.
Whether the pandemic, the cost of living or changing partying habits are to blame, ticket sales are down and the dream of spending three blurry days in a muddy field sleeping on a deflated air mattress is fading further into the distance.
Dozens of festivals have announced postponement, cancellation or outright closure this year alone.
is needed now More than ever
One such festival is Nozstock: The Hidden Valley. For 26 years they’ve steadily grown into one of Herefordshire’s proudest exports – a psychedelic jewel that stands in between Wales and the West Midlands.
This year, they’ve announced this year will be the festival’s last for the foreseeable future due to increased costs – but it’s not quite as simple as the price of pints going up.
“Costs went up on average 30 per cent, but in some areas, it was as much as 80 per cent”, Nozstock’s creative director Ella Nosworthy tells me.
Having had to cancel the festival in 2020 along with the rest of the world, the team found themselves in a situation where tickets had been sold “at 2019 prices but with 2022 costs”. It meant that, even at a near sell-out, they were operating at a loss.
This, combined with the fact that festival budgets are set months in advance, meant that the new financial reality for festivals was set in stone before it was already too late.
Nozstock grew to be one of Herefordshire’s proudest exports – photo: Nozstock
The rising cost of living may have stopped many from forking out a couple hundred quid to go to a festival, but not everyone.
Those who are still on the lookout for a wicked summer party and who aren’t afraid to take a punt on a newbie to the circuit have been looking towards the humble micro-festival.
Often less than 500 people, these festivals offer a more informal musical weekend with a more personal touch and almost always are much more affordable.
“A small group of us started Nowadaze under the name ‘PeteStock’ in Martock in 2022”, say festival organisers of one new micro-festival that resides just a half hour’s drive outside Bristol city centre near Yate.
They credit the “communal feel” of their festival as one of the reasons people are now flocking to the gates and the fact that, for many of the acts this year, it is their first time playing at a festival. That means they are far more likely to bring a gaggle of companions, further boosting sales.
Their proximity to Bristol also gives them quite the pool of up-and-coming DJs and performers to choose from.
“It’s no secret that Bristol is full of talented musicians and artists”, they tell me, adding they had over 300 opening applications for sets across the weekend.
In fact, they were impressed by so many that they had to add an extra stage this year so they could get more artists in, offering artists the opportunity to clamber onto the first rung of the festival circuit ladder, a chance not offered by many of the larger festivals.
Nozstock: The Hidden Valley is cancelled for the foreseeable future – photo: Nozstock
But what can be done to stem the bleeding for these medium-sized, independent festivals like Nozstock and so many others?
Ella says this slew of cancellations we are seeing won’t stop without government intervention and some support to get festivals back on their feet.
She specifically suggests a temporary reduction of VAT to five per cent for three years to allow the industry to recover, citing the Five Percent For Festivals campaign as somewhere to go for more information.
For now, though, get your wellies on and your fanny packs full, as UK festivals need you more than ever.
Main photo: Nowadaze
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