Following on from its 2024 sell-out and the announcement that ticket prices are held for 2025, Kendal Calling broke its first-day sales record in just 2 hours, going on to sell 50% of next year’s 20th edition celebrations. Co-founder Andy Smith said “Each year, on the morning we go back on sale, we wake up with nervous flutters about how the day is going to unfold. Last weekend was the best show yet, but we’re only human and have the same anxieties anyone else would have. We needn’t have worried – you turned out this morning in record numbers, keen…
Author: Andy Lenthall
YOUROPE – The European Festival Association invites all festival organizers, event professionals and other interested stakeholders to participate in the European Festival Summit, Nov 18-20. The event in Karlsruhe, Germany, will explore the future of festivals with the leading European festival creators and brightest minds from sectors like AI, cyber security, and climate research. YOUROPE has dedicated the entire conference to making festivals fit for the future. The first European Festival Summit is your opportunity to meet like-minded people from all over Europe in a relaxed atmosphere to find out how to improve the festival sector together The brightest minds…
A convoy of 55 Harley Davidson bikers has delivered the ashes of the legendary Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead to Rock City in Nottingham following the close of this year’s Bloodstock festival. The specially-created Lemmy Forever memorial urn commissioned by Bloodstock has now taken up residence at Rock City, Nottingham where Motörhead played on many occasions. With 10 Motörhead shows at the legendary venue spanning more than four decades from 1987 to 2006, Rock City is honoured to be paying tribute to one of the figureheads of rock history. This is where they will remain on public display to celebrate the…
Friday evening saw seven people taken to hospital, following what police described as a ‘crowd collapse’. The incident occurred in the run-up to a set by DJ Sammy Virji at The Point stage, a minor stage dedicated to DJ sets. The set was cancelled in order to effectively deal with the incident. The promoter, which successfully applied for a capacity increase from 53,000 to 58,000 this year, said in a statement “Following the isolated incident on Friday night when seven festivalgoers were transferred to hospital from the festival for minor injuries, the event continued normally.”
North Cornwall’s Rock Oyster festival has launched a Crowdfunding campaign to fund its expansion from 10,000 to 15,000 capacity, after being granted a new licence for the increase. The pitch cites revenue increases of 128% over 3 years and states “Through our campsites and glamping options we’ve established an alternative accommodation offering for families and visitors to our festival in over-subscribed North Cornwall. The festivals programme of music, food, wellbeing and family fun makes Rock Oyster an enticing summer getaway. It also offers an alternative day out for those staying in accommodation nearby.” Potential investors are warned not to invest…
Forbidden Events, one of the Midlands’ favourite party brands, is making a comeback this Autumn with Forbidden Halloween at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. Taking place on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October, the show is gearing up to be one of the brand’s best yet, with an impressive lineup featuring multiple world-renowned electronic artists. To kick things off, Newcastle’s Ben Hemsley is set to transport the crowd to Ibiza with his signature blend of House, Techno and Trance anthems on Friday, alongside fellow Geordie Schak who brings his infectious, high-energy beats to the Halloween special. They’ll be joined by…
Witcombe Festival has announced the cancellation of its 2024 edition, citing slow ticket sales as the reason. Attempts to create a festival with smaller capacity were scuppered by licensing conditions. A statement on the event website, which we hope leaves the door open for a swift return, reads: “It is with great disappointment that we announce the cancellation of Witcombe Festival 2024. Today, we were supposed to get the keys to the fields from the farmer and begin building the festival for a celebration of music, dancing, and togetherness on the August Bank Holiday. Unfortunately, the ongoing cost of living…
The Schools Engagement Programme Pilot, launched in January 2024 with grant support from the EIF, has been completed, delivering key event industry career messages to schools in the East of England. The pilot programme: Engaged 6,500 students in 35 schools Delivered a consistent and compelling message about career opportunities across the seven core sectors Increased student understanding of the UK events industry to 65% post-presentation from an initial 1% Received hugely positive feedback from students, teachers and our industry Ambassadors. More importantly the pilot allowed the team to develop robust and efficient systems and processes to support the delivery of…
This year, boutique music festival Baloise Session and popular Swiss ice cream manufacturer Gelati Gasparini are celebrating 20 years of successful collaboration. For the past two decades the Baloise Session, famous for its unique concerts featuring international stars in an intimate club-like setting, has been relying on the support of Gelati Gasparini to offer its guests an exquisite ice-cream experience. “The 20-year collaboration between the Baloise Session and Gelati Gasparini is proof of the strength of a successful partnership that is based on quality, innovation and passion», says Beatrice Stirnimann, CEO of the Baloise Session. “The combination of great music…
LIFT 2024, London’s biennial international festival of theatre, welcomed over 10,000 audience members, across eight venues connecting international artists and Londoners with bold new work. After a dynamic and thought-provoking festival with six and a half years in the post, Kris Nelson will step down as Artistic Director/CEO at the end of August. The festival celebrated the end of its 2024 programme on Saturday with the final performance of Nassim Soleimanpour’s critically acclaimed ECHO at the Royal Court. Other highlights from 2024 include The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women by Brazilian directors Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte and UK’s…