LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — The British music industry trade group, the Association of Independent Festivals, announced that the number of music festivals in the country that have been cancelled or permanently closed this year now stands at over 60.

The latest additions to the list include Cambridgeshire’s Secret garden partywho announced the final of the event for 2024, along with The Cosmic Roots Festival (Basingstoke) and The Witcombe Festival (Gloucester), both of which have been cancelled for 2024.

Overall, the AIF expects that more than 100 festivals will disappear in 2024 due to the pressure of unpredictably rising costs. And that’s in addition to the 96 festivals that fell by the wayside due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the beginning of February, the AIF has been calling for help from the British government. The AIF campaign is calling for a temporary reduction in VAT on festival tickets, which would save many event organizers from closure.

The number of festivals that have had to cancel, postpone or close altogether in 2024, mainly due to unforeseen costs and a credit crunch in the industry, is showing no sign of abating. The urgent need for government intervention through a temporary reduction in VAT on ticket sales to 5% remains. We hope that the new Labour government will take swift action to rescue many successful festival businesses that face this existential threat,” said AIF CEO John Rostron.

Full list of AIF festivals lost in 2024: https://www.fivepercentforfestivals.com/festivals-lost