Festival No.6 In Wales Takes Breather, Promoter: ‘Just Not Sustainable In Its Current Format’

Broadwick Live – Festival No.6
The festival will celebrate its last edition for now in September

Wales’ beloved Festival No.6 will take an indefinite break after its seventh edition, Sept. 6-9.

The event, which is promoted by Broadwick Live, has gained a reputation for getting the boutique formula right. It has won numerous awards over the years, including NME and UK Festival Awards.

Due to its unique setting in the coastal village of Portmeirion in Gwynedd, North Wales, Festival No.6 has always been limited in capacity. The biggest edition so far went down in 2016, when some 15,000 revellers were let on site. Since it caused bottlenecks, promoters reduced the capacity to 12,000 again the following year, when heavy rains tampered with visitors’ festival experience.

And while the festival site may be picturesque, it posed several challenges, forcing promoters to adapt and reinvent the festival every year, according to a statement. 

“When we started Festival No.6 we had one aim – to create a completely new type of festival in a location unlike any other, catering for a different type of audience. Over the past six years, we’ve done everything we can to bring you an unrivalled festival experience in a truly unique setting, driven by a desire to do things differently,” the statement reads.

“In six short years the profile of the festival has far outgrown its intimate capacity, picking up numerous awards, gaining international recognition and becoming one of the world’s most unique festivals. We always knew we had something special but we never quite expected it to capture people’s imagination the way it has.

“Running Festival No.6 hasn’t been without its challenges. Portmeirion is a complex site and we’ve had fun adapting and reinventing the festival every year but unfortunately No.6 is just not sustainable in its current format and so we’ve made the difficult decision to take a breather – 2018 will be the last Festival No.6 for now. We will of course be throwing an almighty party this year and will make sure it’s the most outstanding No.6 to date!”

Promoters went on to thank everyone involved in the festival, the crew, suppliers, programmers and partners, as well as Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government Major Events Unit.

“Most importantly, we want to thank everyone who has ever joined us at Festival No.6 over the years. Taking a break is the right decision but not all is lost, we’re already thinking about the future.

“As Sir Clough Williams-Ellis said ‘Cherish the past, adorn the present and construct for the future’.”