Why do Some Music Festivals Just Disappear.

It can be surprising when a long running music festival suddenly disappears from event calendars. This can come as a disappointment to loyal fans with many wondering why a seemingly strong event shuts up shop. What are the likely reasons for these well-known music festivals to cease trading and vanish for good.

The biggest impact on the music festival sector in recent times was the global pandemic that forced many organising entities to close for good. Since 2021 the sector has rebounded and in some case is booming with continued interest and a growth in new events. Despite the current buoyant mood in the global music festival business some long running events are still closing their doors for good. It is rarely a single factor that leads to closure but usually a combination of elements that cause problems in a market that increasingly needs a dynamic approach to business operations. 

Management and Operational Logistics. 
Overall poor planning and operational management can cause numerous business problems in operating a festival. This is often a combination of poor site planning with inadequate facilities and staff or volunteer mismanagement. In addition, if the curation process is slow and artists selected are not relevant to the intended audience it can lead to a badly received line-up. If organisers are using manual processes to run their events and not embracing new technology this can lead to multiple logistical issues. A lack of marketing or knowledge of how to use online digital assets can reduce awareness and lead to low ticket sales too. 

Financials. 
Poor financial planning and management is usually the most common reason for a festival to fail. Many entities run events with minimal cash flow and one minor issue can have a knock-on effect. A failure to understand the costs and accurately forecast revenue will ultimately lead to cash flow problems. Suppliers, staff and artists won’t get paid which in turn can lead to irreparable reputational damage. A financially precarious festival entity will find it difficult to attract investors and potential any buyers of the event entity may only be interested in the brand name. 

Controversy and Bad Publicity. 
A poorly organised festival can manifest itself with safety and security issues making it less attractive to potential festival-goers. Media coverage of festival site violence and assaults or out of control narcotics with a lack of security staff or assistance can make the event’s survival challenging. Other PR disasters can occur when headliners unexpectedly cancel or on-site facilities are inadequate for the number of attendees. Problems with ticket refunds or potential fraud and overpricing can also leave a bitter taste further adding to negative press coverage. 

External Factors. 
The most notable external factor that has impacted on music festivals was the coronavirus pandemic which is now thankfully behind us. There are plenty of other external issues that can affect a festival entity including issues with site or venue landlords where they refuse to host future events or increase prices to unsustainable levels. Many outdoor music festivals need to obtain the necessary permits and licences to enable them to operate as intended. If there are any problems obtaining these due to local opposition for example there may be little that organisers can do to fix it. In the northern hemisphere the typical summer music festival can be hit by adverse weather conditions leading to cancellation or site damage. Although entities may get some compensation from insurers this is not guaranteed and if they are issuing refunds to festival-goers the financial impact can cause bankruptcy. An increase in competing festivals is bound to impact on existing events with fewer festival-goer funds to go around making ticket sales difficult. An often-overlooked external factor is the ever-changing music preferences of festival-goers and if the curation process is not adaptable to changing trends the selected line-up may appeal to fewer and fewer festival-goers. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Caleb Oquendo via Pexels

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