Top News

The music festival industry has taken several hits this year, with at least 33 cancellations worldwide in 2026. Six festivals have been lost in the UK alone.

Spiralling costs have made it impossible for some organisers to continue operating, with expensive artist fees and running costs, while other cancellations were incredibly controversial, such as Wireless. One festival that suffered from runaway finances was Hardwick Festival, run by Hardwick Hall Hotel. Festival organiser John Adamson said they could not continue after "losing a considerable amount of money over the past three years".

Citing infrastructure costs and "sky-high" artist fees in his statement, Mr Adamson said they would have had to charge more than £100 per day to keep up with rising bills.

The 2025 event cost £2.2million to put on, and he said agents were "killing the game," adding the acts have "doubled in the last two years, and we have tried our best but we just can't continue losing money on this festival".

Meanwhile, Live At Leeds In The Park and the city-wide version, Live At Leeds In The City, have been paused for 2026 so organisers could focus on rebuilding and returning for the festival's 20th anniversary in 2027.

They described it as a strategic break by a small independent team, and they were "fully committed to coming back, better than ever, for our 20th anniversary in 2027".

Wireless, a three-day London event, was wholly more controversial. Ye, formerly Kanye West, was booked as the planned headliner, but organisers came under widespread backlash for spotlighting someone who had made antisemitic comments and released a song about Hitler. Sponsors withdrew support, the rapper was denied entry into the UK, and the festival was cancelled.