FESTIVAL LAUNCHES several initiatives around education and community engagement .”
Asked how the huge rise in costs in recent years has impacted AEG Presents ’ festivals and the plan for LIDO , King says the promoter ’ s events have proven comparatively resilient : “ Costs have risen and the consequences are clear for all to see . Not only have some events left the market but the financial barrier to entry is higher than it ’ s ever been , which naturally hurts the smaller independent operators and entrepreneurs who want to enter the market , and so there is little growth at grassroots levels . However , the festival market is resilient .
“ AEG ’ s European Festivals division has consistently grown every year for the last five years , and we project further sustainable growth in the coming years . Yes , we have to be careful on costs , but we have to be more careful to ensure that we are creating value and exciting narratives and opportunities for artists and their fans to come together .”
Independent progress Association of Independent Festivals CEO John Rostron says that while the challenging economic environment has
Charli XCX is set to headline
LIDO Festival
Jim King
“ LIDO WILL BE THE MOST SUSTAINABLE EVENT IN AEG ’ S FESTIVAL PORTFOLIO .”
– AEG PRESENTS CEO EUROPEAN FESTIVALS JIM KING
seen 72 UK festivals cancelled in 2024 , meaning the indie sector is still in need of Government support such as a reduction in VAT on tickets , there are signs of small green shoots breaking through next year .
“ I ’ m aware of about a dozen independent festival launches next summer , which is great ,” he says . “ They ’ re all very small ; there ’ s nothing of scale , but it ’ s really positive to see and it is the highest number of launches we have seen since 2019 . They all involve quality promoters , so there ’ s every reason to believe that they ’ re going to have a good crack at it .”
Having overseen the final , 60th anniversary edition of Towersey Festival ( cap . 5,000 ) at Buckinghamshire ’ s Claydon Estate in August , the event ’ s directors are to launch a new festival on the site next year .
Mary Hodson
The team behind the UK ’ s oldest independent festival is planning the inaugural Found Festival on 22-24 August , with the new 2,000-capacity event focused on “ musical and cultural discovery , connection and inspiration ”.
Originally founded by Denis Manners MBE in 1965 , five years before Glastonbury ’ s gates first opened , Towersey Festival was managed by festival co-director ’ s Mary Hodson and Joe Heap , two of Manners ’ grandchildren who are now working on the launch of Found .
Hodson says that it reached the point that Towersey had become financially unsustainable , and it was only after partnering with controversial secondary ticketing operator Viagogo , and gaining Arts Council funding , that the way ahead became clear for a new festival venture .
“ Viagogo doesn ’ t have the best reputation with some artists and some other ticketing agencies , but they are putting a lot of money into grassroots music through venues , emerging artists programmes , and then just last year Viagogo decided that they wanted to invest in independent festivals ,” she says . “ We believe in what they ’ re doing , in terms of investment in the right things , and the programmes that they have been running for several years have been really successful and really made a difference .
“ The funding doesn ’ t mean we can all sit back and relax but it is a significant amount of money , and along with the
accessaa . co . uk 27