Christopher BarrettShindig Festival, a 10,000-capacity independent Somerset-based event has become the 28th UK festival to announce its postponement, cancellation, or closure in 2024.
The event, staged by Shindig Productions, has been running for 10 years but its organisers have announced that this year will see the final edition of the festival.
In a notice on the festival website, its organisers stated that the event will come to an end because the owners of the festival’s site, Dillington Estate, are moving away from festivals to focus on farming: “We care too much about delivering the best parties we can and refuse to rush major changes that don’t fit with our ethos for it to continue at this time.”
The festival team includes Shindig Productions event director Will Lardner, Mojo Fell and Simon Clarke.
Acts scheduled to play the last Shindig Festival, on 23-26 May, include Groove Armada, Brand New Heavies, Altern 8, Kurupt FM, Ewan McVicar, Congo Natty and Mad Professor.
Association of Independent Festivals CEO John Rostron said Shindig is the latest in a long line of highly popular UK festivals that have been impacted by tough market conditions: “With the planned change of use for their existing site, the rising and wildly unpredictable supply chain costs that have come as a consequence of both the pandemic and Brexit mean they do not have the room to consider all that is required to invest in a move of this scale.
“We are sure that if the Government were to intervene with a temporary reduction of VAT on ticket sales to 5%, Shindig and many of the independent festivals that have fallen in 2024 would have continued. We require action and support now, before our hugely successful commercial and cultural sector is eroded further.”