PennFest 2024 cancelled as 'devastated' organisers lament economic challenges

A popular summer festival in Buckinghamshire has been cancelled due to increased costs, organisers confirmed this morning (15 April).

A statement has been released on the PennFest website confirming the cancellation of the festival this summer.

Held in the village it shares a name with the festival has built a loyal following over the past 12 years, and this summer’s line-up included a series of household names in the world of music.

Organisers had confirmed Jess Glynne, Richard Ashcroft, and Paul Weller, as the headliners at the three-day festival, which was due to be held between 19 and 21 July.

Also, announced for this year’s show were Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gok Wan, Professor Green, and Ella Henderson.

In a statement released today organisers said: “We’re very sorry to announce that we are no longer able to run the 2024 edition of Pennfest . This is so we can take a year off and regroup for the 2025 event.

“We know many of our regular attendees were very excited about the 2024 edition but over the past few months it has become more and more apparent that with challenging trading conditions coupled with significantly increasing costs in a very challenging economic climate has made it impossible to deliver the event to the standard our customers have become accustomed to, despite looking at all available options.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and the whole team is devastated by this after all their hard work over the past 12 years since the festival’s inception.”

Organisers had drew criticism this year, for the inclusion of the rapper, Wiley, at the festival. The once popular Grime artist had his MBE revoked over antisemitic comments he made on social media.

Pennfest is one of several festivals to be postponed or cancelled, this year with the Association of Independent Festivals citing rising production costs as the key factor.

The Pennfest organisers added: “It saddens us even further that unfortunately this situation does not only apply to us with a significant number of festivals like ours in the UK and internationally already cancelling or postponing their events for the same reasons.

“For us it’s important to prioritize the wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of the festival and by regrouping in this way we can deliver on our commitment to further high-quality experiences in the future.

“Ticket holders will be contacted in the next 48 hours to outline their options.

“You will be able to request a refund however tickets will automatically rollover to 2025 and we are asking you to keep hold of yours for then, allowing you to go to next year’s event at this year’s price.

“In the meantime, we will be working on our plans for a revitalized festival in 2025 and we are aiming to announce our plans during the 2nd half of this summer.

“We’d like to thank the whole Pennfest family of festival goers, artists and supplier for supporting the event over the years and very much hope we’ll see you all in 2025.”