Liverpool's Africa Oyé Festival Cancels 2025 Edition Due to Soaring Costs
Africa Oyé, Liverpool's iconic festival, has become the first UK festival to announce cancellation for 2025 due to unsustainable cost increases of over 30%. The festival joins a growing list of 211 UK festivals that have ceased operations since 2019.
Canceled Africa Oye Festival Crowd Scene
Artistic director Paul Duhaney explains that without significant investment to cover rising infrastructure and compliance costs, running the festival safely would be irresponsible. The organization hopes to resume operations in 2026.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has been advocating for government intervention, specifically requesting a reduction in VAT on festival tickets from 20% to 5%. This measure could potentially save many struggling events, but the UK government has yet to respond.
AIF CEO John Rostron highlights that despite strong ticket sales, festivals are operating with nearly zero margins due to:
- Skyrocketing operational costs
- Post-pandemic recovery challenges
- Brexit-related impacts on the live music sector
The AIF represents 145 UK music festivals, ranging from 500 to 80,000 capacity events, collectively reaching over 3.3 million attendees annually. Notable members include GreenBelt, Mighty Hoopla, Deershed, End of the Road, Notting Hill Carnival, Pitchfork London, Field Maneuvers, and We Out Here.
Without immediate government support, the UK risks losing more cultural events that serve as cornerstones of local communities nationwide.
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