Like many other small UK music festivals, the Norfolk-based “Sundown Festival” will not be returning for the 2025 edition. The festival was originally supposed to take place on August 29 at the Norfolk Showground; however the organizers have announced the cancellation of the edition and reassured that tickets would be automatically refunded.
In the past, it had featured artists such as Jess Glyne, Olly Murs and Chase & Status. Over their website, organizers have described the past 12 editions as an unforgettable journey.
“For 12 incredible years, Sundown Festival has been Norwich’s ultimate summer send-off. What started as humble beginnings grew into a five-stage camping festival, partnering with iconic music brands and artists, surviving a pandemic, and even taking Sundown to Malta. It’s been an unforgettable journey.” They stated on their website before going to thank the fans and their energy: “a huge thank you to our fans — you’ve been the heartbeat of Sundown”.
The festival had first taken place in 2013, after it was renamed from “Norfolk Spectacular”. At its earlier editions, it had artists such as Rita Ora and JessieJ performing; in 2014, Chase & Status took the stage and the day after was followed by Ellie Goulding. Chase & Status played the festival various times. In more recent editions, Shawn Mendes, Zara Larsson, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul and Raye graced the stage. The festival had also been brought to Malta in recent years.
Last year’s edition saw Tom Grennan and D-Block Europe headlining, with acts such as Kenya Grace, Mahalia and Flowdan performing throughout the day.
The news of Sundown’s cancellation comes after many other small UK festivals have cancelled their upcoming edition. Sundown’s organizers have blamed the need to cancel on rising costs of production and the rising cost of living; these reasons impacted their ability to deliver the high standards which they had created in the previous editions.
This year alone, more than 70 festivals were cancelled or postponed. According to the Association of Independent Festivals, ever since 2019 a total of 204 have been cancelled for different reasons, mostly related to the pandemic and the subsequent financial difficulties brought by it. Back in June, over 50 festivals had been cancelled for the 2024 edition and the number keeps increasing.
In order to prevent the cancellation of more festivals, AIF has created an initiative to support and preserve smaller – “five percent for festivals” – venues and festivals.
50 UK festivals have now announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024.
Without intervention, it’s expected that the UK will see over 100 festivals disappear in 2024
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— AIF (@AIF_UK) June 24, 2024
It is unclear now whether Sundown Festival will be revived in the upcoming years, but it is becoming clear that small venues and festivals are suffering from the economic crisis and the future of live music, especially for smaller artists, is at stake.
