More than three quarters of UK music festivals set for July and August are at risk of cancellation unless they are insured by the Government, a leading industry body has predicted. The stark “red alert” warning comes from the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), which today reports that 26 per cent of UK festivals with a capacity above 5,000 have already been cancelled “due to Government inaction on insurance”. According to the AIF,.
Last modified on Wed 5 May 2021 04.18 EDT
More than a quarter of music festivals due to take place in the UK this year have been cancelled as a result of government inaction on event insurance, research has found.
According to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), which has been tracking festivals taking place in Britain this year, 26% of all festivals with a capacity of more than 5,000 people have been cancelled by their organisers.
The AIF has projected that more than three-quarters (76%) of the remaining festivals could be called off imminently if action regarding cancellation insurance policies of large-scale events is not reviewed.
Womad Festival is due to go ahead at Charlton Park in Wiltshire from July 22-25.
From Glastonbury Festival and Boomtown Fair to the Eden Sessions and Womad, the West Country is home to some of the biggest and best festivals the UK has to offer.
But coronavirus brought a summer of cancellations in 2020 and uncertainty remains as to whether festival-goers will get the summer of fun they are hoping for in 2021.
While the Government s roadmap out of lockdown means all restrictions are due to end on June 21, insurance issues and a lack of certainty mean many have already been postponed until 2022.
BBC News
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image captionBoomtown Fair was postponed until next year because it could not get Covid cancellation insurance
Most of the music festivals still due to take place this year could be scrapped without the safety net of government-backed cancellation insurance, organisers have warned.
A quarter of UK festivals have already been called off, but 76% of the rest are at risk, according to the industry.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has called for urgent intervention to save the season.
The government said it was exploring what further support it could provide.
The AIF said events had been scrapped because of government inaction on insurance .