Full record of 6 UK festivals cancelled in 2026 – together with Wi-fi and big Brighton occasion

Some organisers stated rising prices made it inconceivable.

Wireless Festival 2025

Wi-fi Pageant was certainly one of 6 occasions cancelled this yr (Picture: Getty)

The music competition trade has taken a number of hits this yr, with no less than 33 cancellations worldwide in 2026. Six festivals have been misplaced within the UK alone.

Spiralling prices have made it inconceivable for some organisers to proceed working, with costly artist charges and working prices, whereas different cancellations have been extremely controversial, equivalent to Wi-fi. One competition that suffered from runaway funds was Hardwick Pageant, run by Hardwick Corridor Resort. Pageant organiser John Adamson stated they may not proceed after “dropping a substantial sum of money over the previous three years”.

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Citing infrastructure prices and “sky-high” artist charges in his assertion, Mr Adamson stated they might have needed to cost greater than £100 per day to maintain up with rising payments.

The 2025 occasion value £2.2million to placed on, and he stated brokers have been “killing the sport,” including the acts have “doubled within the final two years, and we have now tried our greatest however we simply cannot proceed dropping cash on this competition”.

In the meantime, Dwell At Leeds In The Park and the city-wide model, Dwell At Leeds In The Metropolis, have been paused for 2026 so organisers might concentrate on rebuilding and returning for the competition’s twentieth anniversary in 2027.

They described it as a strategic break by a small unbiased workforce, they usually have been “absolutely dedicated to coming again, higher than ever, for our twentieth anniversary in 2027”.

Wi-fi, a three-day London occasion, was wholly extra controversial. Ye, previously Kanye West, was booked because the deliberate headliner, however organisers got here below widespread backlash for spotlighting somebody who had made antisemitic feedback and launched a tune about Hitler. Sponsors withdrew help, the rapper was denied entry into the UK, and the competition was cancelled.