Today brought about some sad news for rock and metal fans: after six years of Hevy Fest, the festival has been cancelled – not only for this year, but permanently. A number of bands were announced for the festival in the past few months, including Enter Shikari, Neck Deep, La Dispute, The Bronx and SHVPES, however due to a number of setbacks the event organisers have decided to pull the plug.

An official statement was released via Hevy Fest’s Facebook page which reads:

Hevy Fest is no more.

After 6 years of incredible bands, legendary hangs, and a lot of monkeys – we’re sorry to announce that Hevy Fest is pulling the plug.

Many things have contributed: Port Lympne being unable to continue hosting the event, the increasingly difficult task of putting together a line-up with more and more exclusives enforced each year, and the pressure to offer good value with spiralling costs. The odds are stacked against anyone taking on the challenge, and they have proven too great for us to overcome.

There is a great community of Hardcore, Punk and Metal supporters in the UK and we hope that other small festivals will be able to grow into this space, and to deliver the event we aspired to.

Ticket holders will be automatically refunded. All monies will be returned in the next 10 working days (including booking fees and postage).

As a small independent event, we want to thank everyone who has supported us over the years.

Hevy Fest // 2009 – 2015.

Despite the promise of an automatic refund, ticket holders are sure to be disappointed after the promising list of bands on the line up, and may be inclined to attend Download Festival instead – which holds a reputation as being the predominant festival for rock and metal fans in the UK. Though it may be little consolation, some bands that were due to play Hevy Fest are also due to appear at Download – such as Neck Deep and SHVPES.

Hevy Fest was planned to take place this August in Newhaven, Derbyshire. The official statement announcing Hevy Fest’s cancellation can be found on the official website, accompanied by a sentimental montage of photographs immortalising the festival’s highlights over the years. RIP, Hevy Fest!