Wiltshire’s Shindig Festival is set to go ahead as planned says organisers, despite an application to its premises licence being submitted to the Wiltshire Council.
The application to review Shindig’s license came through members of the South Cotswold Conservative Association who cited concerns because of “documented public statements and performances by the performer “Bob Vylan”, which have attracted sustained controversy,” the application states.
The festival, set to take place 21-24 May, is headlined by Bob Vylan, who made headlines in 2025 during his performance at that year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Shindig has since stated that “the public consultation [to the festival’s go ahead] ended on 6th May with an overwhelming number of supporters. None of the relevant authorities have engaged with the review application.”
“The event has a strong 12-year track record as a safe, professionally run independent festival. And the team is confident the festival will be delivered responsibly and in line with the high standards that have always been maintained,” the festival adds.
Simon Clarke, festival director of Shindig, said: “We are facing censorship and standing our ground. We don’t want a precedent to be set whereby influential political lobbying groups can dictate who performs at our event or in the wider music industry.
Safety has always been our absolute priority, and we are working closely with our production teams, advisers, the artist and relevant authorities to ensure robust measures are in place. We want to thank everyone who continues to support independent festivals and the Shindig community – it’s a lifeline in times like this.”
Musician Bob Vylan added: “We’re incredibly excited to be at Shindig this year and we look forward to sharing the same love, truth and energy that our live shows are known for.
The threat to the festival’s licence is unwarranted and shameful but we are proud to take part in a festival with morals and ethics that places art, and freedom to express that art, at its forefront.”
