Barn on the Farm have announce that their UK Festival Awards Best Small Festival will not take place on 2023. In an open and honest statement, the team cited the difficulties that the live music sector has been facing in the past few years.
Commenting on the postponement, AIF CEO said:
“Barn On The Farm’s recent announcement is a further warning sign of the difficult conditions facing independent festivals at the moment. Festivals are being squeezed by the rise in supply chain costs, and the effects of closures and debt incurred during Covid, meaning they are in a unique, perilous position that threatens the future of almost all but the very biggest operators in the UK. We again call on the Government to expedite a lower VAT rate of 5% on ticket sales for the next three years to create the space for festivals to make it through this severe situation and back to the growth we all enjoyed in outdoor events prior to the pandemic.”
The statement from Barn on the Farm reads:
Guys, we finally have an update on the future of Barn on the Farm. We hugely appreciate your patience and hope you can see how much we adore this festival and want to find a way for it to continue!!!
I’ll cut to the chase, after lots of lengthy discussions we have made the difficult decision to postpone Barn 24, and instead focus our attention on Barn 25, which will take place from the 3rd to the 6th of July 2025.
As you know we’ve been openly vocal about the difficulties that we, alongside many other festivals, have faced over the last year. So rather than rush into another season of planning and be on the rocks financially we feel it’s better for us to use our time this year to focus on planning 2025 and making a huge comeback. Barn 25 will be the festival we’re all after, and we need this time to make it as sensational as it can be.
For everyone that came to Barn 23 – WHAT A RIDE. We loved it and poured everything into it. Thank you so much for all the votes around the UK Festival Awards. We are finally the Best Small Festival in the UK!!!! We are so proud of our grassroots community, and are ready to champion the new music of tomorrow for years to come.
We will be putting a number of 2025 tickets on sale soon, with payment plans on offer and full-refunds offered until the end of the year so you can safely buy in good faith. We’ll also be offering a discount on tickets for a limited time only, so please pre-register for tickets via our mailing list on our website and we’ll make sure you get that exclusive access.
As you know the future of independent festivals are uncertain but my god do we need them for new music to survive. We hugely appreciate every single one of you who supports us moving forwards. This continues to be your festival and your festival family.
Keep your eyes on our socials and website for updates, and sign up via LINK for ticket registration.
Let’s hit 2025 HARD.”
