Standon Calling Festival will return in 2026, but without a camping option and with no after dark raves.
The Hertfordshire festival has not run since 2023 and announced at the start of last year that the steep increase in the cost of running the event had left the organisers no choice but to postpone future events.
Now, after a series of local council meetings involving festival founder Alex Trenchard, a licence has been approved for the festival to return in 2026, on the condition that the capacity does not exceed 20,000 people, including staff and performers, and that attendees will be off-site by midnight each night (via BBC).
Standon Calling 2026 will consist of eight days of music and entertainment, spread across two weekends. The dates have not been confirmed, but it will be held on consecutive weekends between May 1 and September 30.
The festival had been held every year since 2006 and had typically allowed festivalgoers to camp on site, with late night raves extending until 4am.
Trenchard has said that approximately 500 glamping places will still be on offer for the 2026 event, and those staying in those facilities will be able to access a bar area with low-level music until 2am. Otherwise, shuttle buses will connect the festival site to the railway network.
— Standon Calling (@StandonCalling) February 8, 2024
When announcing that they were postponing the festival in 2024, Trenchard said: “The painful truth is that ploughing on in this very challenging climate could risk the future of the festival. We believe that the only sensible decision is to take a fallow year for the very first time in our history (other than during the height of COVID-19) and use this time to make the 18th Standon Calling one for the ages.”
That announcement came days after some performers and caterers claimed that they’re still “owed thousands” by the festival for work dating back to its 2023 edition, with one catering business claiming they had still not seen their takings from the event, totalling around £13,000.
A November 2024 report from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) revealed that 72 UK festivals were cancelled or postponed in 2024, doubling figures from the previous year.
AIF CEO John Rostron called 2024 a “devastating period” for festival organisers in the UK. “The festival sector generates significant revenue in and around local economies as well as to the Treasury every year,” he added. “We have campaigned tirelessly for targeted, temporary government intervention which, evidence shows, would have saved most of the independent events that have fallen in 2024.
“It is sad to see that this erosion has been allowed to continue under this Government. We have great events, with great demand, and we’re doing all we can. They need to step up, and step up now.”
Speaking to NME about the cancellation and postponement of various music festivals, Oscar Matthews – co-owner of Barn On The Farm festival shared: “It’s inevitable and it’s already started, but when you start to lose smaller festivals, events, gig spaces and venues, the opportunities disappear for new and emerging talent to get on stage and get their music heard,” he said. “They’ll suffer and that will inevitably have a knock-on effect further up the chain.”
AIF launched a campaign last year for VAT on festival tickets to be temporarily lowered from 20% to 5%, in order to provide financial relief to festivals close to cancellation.
It followed findings that the music industry contributed a record £7.6billion to the country’s economy in 2023, while the grassroots sector continues to struggle.
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