Fallow Festival Fund Launched At UK Festival Congress

The 2025 Festival Congress, organized by the UK’s Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), went down today, Feb. 5, in Bristol, England. Two important things that came out of a whole day of fruitful discussions include a fund for festivals forced to take a year off, as well as a call for the UK government to launch an inquiry into the future of the country’s festivals.

The Fallow Festival Fund was created by the AIF in partnership with Citizen Ticket. It comes after a devastating year for the UK’s festival sector in 2024, when 78 (!) events either announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure – more than double the amount (36) that did so the year before.

Four festivals have already been cancelled in 2025, with three of those opting to take a fallow year in efforts to return in 2026. Combining the fallen festivals of 2023, 2024 and 2025 with the 96 events lost to COVID, the total number of UK festivals to have disappeared since 2019 now stands at 215, according to the AIF.

Among those to take a fallow year in 2025 are Africa Oyé in Liverpool, England. Upon announcing that it would take a year off, with dates set for a return in 2026, Africa Oyé’s artistic director, Paul Duhaney, cited rising costs of 30% as being unworkable, despite record attendance at last year’s event.

“With increased infrastructure and compliance costs, it is simply a case that without major investment to cover the costs of delivering a festival of this size safely, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the event in 2025,” he told AIF.

The association knows of more than a dozen festivals that have been forced to take a fallow year, using the time to attempt to make the necessary changes in order to return.

The Fallow Festival Fund includes a free one-year AIF membership, enabling events to access the trade body’s services and resources, as well as support from the network of 150 member festivals.

Citizen Ticket has pledged free use of their ticketing and bookings platform for festivals and events selling up to 2,000 tickets. Larger events can sell their first 2,000 tickets free of charge. Citizen Ticket has also pledged free use of the Eventree accreditation and event management software.

‘I’d Welcome Research Into Young Audiences’: Q’s With AIF CEO John Rostron

Finally, according to a press release sent from today’s Festival Congress, “financial donations to the Fallow Festival Fund will enable AIF to buy support from third parties to offer fallow festivals a number of other key services such as time on a legal helpline to review contracts, a financial health check which may bring about savings or improve cashflow, a production consultancy – to review current processes; site layout; improving energy use or to help refresh their production offer for a return, and a revenue review consultancy to improve or add income streams to their event. More services will be added to meet festivals’ particular needs in response to demand, and as funds allow.”

An industry-wide call has been made for further financial or service donations from festival suppliers and other organizations across the music business who are able to help.

Speaking to delegates at the Festival Congress, Citizen Ticket CPO Phil Hayes said, “At TicketSellers, and now Citizen Ticket, we’ve been working in the independent festival space for 25 years. We’ve seen it all – foot and mouth disease, the pandemic, the cost of living crisis… Every time a crisis hits we’ve done our best to support small and independent festivals in any way we can. We’ve partnered with the AIF on Festival Congress 5 times and we wanted to take our partnership to the next level with this fund raiser. We are urging other suppliers who are able to offer something to please do so before more festivals are forced to cancel.”

AIF CEO John Rostron said, “Three out of the four festivals that have cancelled this year are taking a fallow year in the hope of returning in 2025. There will be more festivals out there who are close to making this call. Being there alone trying to make your event work is tough. I know how much festivals value being a part of the AIF community, particularly when times are hard. It’s good to have people around you who can listen, understand and offer support. Phil came to me with this suggestion, and it speaks volumes about him and his spirit that Citizen Ticket and other suppliers to the festival sector really want to help too. Every contribution – small or big – will make a difference and I hope that as the year goes on some of those events in a fallow year will be supported by this fund and have the tools, techniques, innovations and confidence to give them the lift they need to return in 2026.”

See: UK Indie Festivals Pass 1M Capacity Milestone

Rostron also urged the delegation attending the Festival Congress – independent festival promoters, freelancers and suppliers alike – to passionately support a new campaign for the inquiry into the sector: a rallying cry calling on the UK government’s Culture Media & Sport Select Committee to begin “a ‘State of Play’ inquiry into the future of UK festivals.”

AIF is asking for a State of Play inquiry to explore the challenges currently facing independent festivals, whilst recognizing the vibrancy, opportunities and successes these events bring to communities across the UK and the economy at local and national levels.

A successful inquiry would lead to recommendations from the committee to the UK government to champion support for independent festivals.

One of the biggest helps to independent festivals in the UK would be a temporary VAT cut from 20% to 5% for three years, which AIF has been petitioning for the past 18 months. Successive governments have, so far, rejected these calls.

AIF evidence shows that this single measure would have saved many of the 215 festivals that have already fallen. Event promoters need four key things from government: (1) the recognition that festivals are falling at an alarming rate; (2) that a temporary fiscal intervention from the UK government will prevent closures and lead to growth; (3) recognition of the cultural and economic value of independent, grassroots festivals and the cultural benefits that they bring to all regions of UK; and (4) the recognition that current policies are failing UK festivals and reform is needed.

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