Festivals in Surrey and Hampshire face cancellations due to rising costs and unpredictable weather, leaving communities disappointed in 2025
Weyfest: It’s only January, but 2025 is already seeing a bunch of popular festivals getting the axe. Weyfest, a favorite in Tilford, has been around for nearly 20 years and has hosted big names like The Stranglers and Jools Holland.
Then there’s Petersfield, where the community is feeling the sting after its spring, summer, and Christmas festivals were all cancelled for this year. The founders of Hometown Events, Steve Jacob and Ben Errey, shared the tough news last week.
They said, “It’s with a heavy heart that we announce our free community festivals won’t be happening this year.” It’s a real bummer, especially after 13 years of building something special.
The pandemic really hit the events industry hard. They were all set for their tenth year in 2020, but then everything changed. “It knocked the world for six,” they said, and it wasn’t just about the events; it wiped out their business overnight.
After two years of lockdown, things started to pick up again, but running events has been a struggle ever since. They faced financial, physical, and mental challenges every year. Just last December, they had to cancel the Christmas Festival last minute because of a storm, which made them realize how much they rely on the weather.
It’s not just Petersfield and Weyfest, either. Across the UK, many festivals are facing similar issues. The Cambridge Folk Festival, one of the oldest in the country, has also cancelled its 60th-anniversary edition this year.
In Liverpool, the Africa Oyé festival, which celebrates African music, has been called off too, despite a great turnout in 2024. Rising costs and supplier prices are making it tough for organizers everywhere.
Last year alone, over 50 festivals were either cancelled, postponed, or shut down for good. The combination of rising costs, unpredictable weather, and changing audience habits since the pandemic is making it really hard for event organizers.
John Rostron, from the Association of Independent Festivals, called it a “crisis” for the sector. He pointed out that festival promoters are barely scraping by since the pandemic hit. Without government support, many successful businesses and cultural staples could disappear.
As more organizers pull back, the future of the UK’s festival scene looks pretty uncertain. The cancellations of Weyfest and the Petersfield festivals show just how tough things are getting for event organizers, especially with all the financial pressures and logistical headaches they’re facing.
