Joe GallopTwo major music festivals in Newcastle – This is Tomorrow (cap. 35,000) and Leazes Live (4,000) – have been cancelled for 2022 in the space of a week.
Kilimanjaro Live’s This is Tomorrow festival, which was due to take place from 3-5 June at Exhibition Park, was pulled today, 8 April, due to rising costs and an oversaturated market, organisers said.
The city’s largest outdoor festival was set to host artists such as Royal Blood, Gerry Cinnamon, Sam Fender, Blossoms, The Kooks and Loyle Carner.
It comes one week after the cancellation of the flagship show for new promoter 456 Live – Leazes Live – which was due to host 4,000 people at Leazes Park on May Bank Holiday weekend.
According to the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service, over 90 noise complaints were made by locals after last year’s sell-out This is Tomorrow which took place over four days. Newcastle City Council then put in place a set of strict new regulations on Exhibition Park following a recent hearing, but organisers said this was not the reason for postponing.
A spokesperson for the festival said that with an “oversaturated market and an ongoing economic crisis, 2022 is not the time for the festival to expand further and build on last year’s success.
“The recent discussions and restrictions placed on the licence for Exhibition Park present a challenge, but this is not the reason we are choosing to have a year off, and we are looking forward to This Is Tomorrow returning to its traditional place in the calendar during the May bank holiday weekend.”
Having recently celebrated the first year of 456 Live trading, former SSD Concerts promoter Joe Gill told Access that Leazes Live was the kind of event that the city has seen a “real lack of in recent years”. The festival was announced in February and was set to feature artists such as James, The Futureheads, The Pale White and Lanterns On The Lake.
Gill told Access that all customers have since been notified and refunded.