Festivals 2021: Which ones are still going ahead?

Last year, Covid-19 wiped out the UK's summer festival season. Only a handful of shows were able to take place, and most of them were in car parks or socially-distanced green field sites.

At the start of 2021, organisers were more optimistic.

With the vaccination programme under way and mass testing available, dozens of events put tickets on sale, confident that fans would be allowed to mosh, pogo and stage-dive with the risk of injury, rather than disease, their main concern.

But as the year has progressed, the summer season has collapsed in slow motion. Events scheduled for the early summer - most notably Glastonbury - cancelled first. Dozens of others followed in April and May, with many citing the inability to obtain cancellation insurance as a factor.

Others moved to safer dates later in the summer, with a noticeable bottleneck over August bank holiday weekend. But the government's decision to delay the easing of lockdown restrictions until 19 July has now forced many festivals to shut their doors for another year.

To help you plan ahead, here's a guide to the events that have been delayed, cancelled, postponed or given the green light. This page was last updated on Tuesday, 27 July 2021.

Organisers have moved the event from its usual slot in May to August bank holiday weekend, giving it a greater chance of proceeding unimpeded. "We can't wait to welcome back live music in the UK and be back dancing with you all later this summer," say organisers.

Founded and managed by the band The Levellers, Beautiful Days started in 2003 and has been awarded the title of best family festival at the UK festival awards.

Organisers say they are "planning to go ahead at full capacity" after Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed. However, tickets are already sold out.

Held at Blur star Alex James's farm in the Cotswolds, the Big Feastival will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the usual mix of music, food, comedy and kids' entertainment. "We're all in need of a serious celebration this year so we're pulling out all the stops to ensure this is our best line-up yet," said James. "Roll on August!"

About 50 new performances were filmed for Radio 1's virtual festival, with acts like Ed Sheeran and Royal Blood playing in front of "iconic landmarks" across the UK. Other sets were shot in the BBC's Radio Theatre; and Radio 1 played out archive performances and piano sessions across the weekend. You can watch the highlights on iPlayer.

One of the UK's newer festivals, Black Deer concentrates on Americana and bluegrass, with big name music acts spread over several stages. The 30,000-capacity event was set to be one of the first to take place after lockdown restrictions eased, until those plans were delayed on 14 June.

"We can't quite put into words how we're feeling right now," said co-founders Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling. "It's devastating news for all connected with Black Deer but we'll be back in 2022". They said ticket-holders would be informed of their options "very soon".

The long-running heavy metal festival has added an extra day to its line-up due to the postponement of last year's event.

However, the festival had to revamp its line-up, explaining that "due to the ongoing issues and restrictions surrounding Covid-19, a number of overseas bands are no longer able to be at Catton Park with us this summer". That included former headliners Mercyful Fate, who have been replaced on the bill by Kreator.

It's been a rough two years for Boardmasters. They were forced to cancel their 2019 event due to severe storms, before Covid-19 wiped out their plans for 2020. Tickets from 2019 will still be valid for this year's festival, which takes place on a cliff-top location overlooking Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach.

Organisers said they were "delighted" to be coming back in 2021 and thanked fans for "sticking with us over these past two years".

"Your continued support has been truly overwhelming and quite simply, we couldn't do it without you."

A five-day immersive musical and theatrical event, Boomtown had branded its 2021 comeback "The Gathering", as a celebration of the return of social contact.

However, organisers pulled the plug on 20 April, blaming the government for its inability to provide a Covid-specific insurance scheme.

"This means anyone putting on an event this year will be doing so without the safety net of insurance to cover them should Covid prevent them from going ahead in any capacity," they said in a statement. "For an independent event as large and complex as Boomtown, this is a huge gamble of up to an eight figure sum and the financial risk is simply too high."

The festival says it will return in August 2022.

BST was one of the first festivals on the calendar for 2021, with three shows planned for the second weekend in July - but on 30 March, organisers confirmed "with a heavy heart" that the shows were being postponed until 2022.

"Following our review of the most recent government advice, the latest timeline means that we are unable to deliver with certainty the quality BST Hyde Park is known for," they said in a statement.

Headliners Pearl Jam and Duran Duran will come back for the rescheduled shows, and all tickets remain valid.

The family-friendly festival announced its return immediately after the government revealed its four-step plan for emerging from lockdown in February.

"There is literally nothing [my wife] Josie and I like more in life than standing in a field surrounded by family and friends, dressed in daft outfits dancing to amazing bands and DJs and Mr Tumble," organiser Rob Da Bank told the BBC. "That's exactly what we plan to be doing at Camp Bestival."

The festival has yet to respond to the extension of lockdown restrictions, and is assumed to be going ahead.

The UK's biggest dance music festival sold out in record time when tickets went on sale in February. Organisers are promising fans "the party of the summer" after a year locked indoors.

After announcing their line-up and putting tickets on sale, the family-friendly Yorkshire festival took the difficult decision to postpone for a second year in April.

In a statement, organisers said a lack of cancellation insurance had left them vulnerable. Tickets will roll over to next year; and a smaller-scale event, Base Camp Plus, featuring live music and comedy will take place on this year's original dates.

Originally due to take place on the first weekend of June, Download pulled the plug on 1 March, after it became clear the UK wouldn't emerge from lockdown until later in the summer.

However, a smaller-scale event will now take place as part of the government pilot scheme - with 10,000 people camping in Donington Park from 18-20 June.

The headline acts are Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Enter Shikari and Bullet For My Valentine, with Creeper, While She Sleeps, Twin Atlantic, Yonaka, Employed to Serve and Neck Deep also in the line-up.

Dates have also been announced for the festival's full return in 2022, with KISS (who were due to headline in 2020 and 2021) back at the top of the bill. They'll be joined by Biffy Clyro and Iron Maiden at Donington Castle next June. Tickets for this year's event can be carried over to 2022.

"We were ready for one hell of a party in 2020 so we did our best to keep most of the original line-up," said organisers of End Of The Road, who are welcoming back almost 100 artists who were due to play last year's festival. "It has been a strange year and we'd like to extend the biggest thank-you to everybody who's bought a ticket and stood with us through these tough times."

Although the event has sold out, a few extra tickets will be released in May, with resales available via Twickets.

Run by folk-rock legends Fairport Convention, Cropredy is one of the UK's oldest festivals, dating back to 1976.

After saying they were "cautiously confident" earlier in the year, the band were forced to postpone the event to 2022 in late June.

"We have reached the point where we'd need to spend big money but without any certainty we could go ahead," said Director Gareth Williams. The dilemma we are facing is simple - proceed and risk potentially going out of business or postpone for a year and live to fight another day."

He added that the lack of Covid-related cancellation insurance, and the failure to provide guidelines for events taking place in step four, had "made it effectively impossible to plan this year's event".

The sheer size of Glastonbury - which features more than 100 stages, thousands of performers and nearly 200,000 fans - meant they had to make a decision on their viability early.

The bad news broke in January: "In spite of our efforts to move heaven and earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the festival happen this year," said Michael and Emily Eavis. "We are so sorry to let you all down."

However, Coldplay, Haim, Damon Albarnm Jorja Smith and Kano all played a ticketed live-stream show from Worthy Farm in May, which won rave reviews despite major technical problems.

Organisers have also submitted an application to hold a smaller, one-off concert on Worthy Farm in September, although that show is still unconfirmed.

Organised by Bear Grylls this unusual festival mixes live music with activities such as wakeboarding, bushcraft and coasteering, all in support of the Royal Marines Charity.

2021 marks its inaugural year, with Grylls describing it as "the perfect event for families to experience adventures together".

Brighton's Great Escape normally takes place in May, which made its 2021 edition impossible. The event, which focuses on up-and-coming talent, had previously announced its first 50 (of more than 400) acts, including BBC Sound Of 2021 winner Pa Salieu, and rising star Arlo Parks. However, the line-up has since disappeared from the festival's official website.

Instead, the event moved online, with a full schedule of live-streamed concerts and music industry debates. The event will return in full on 11 May 2022.

Green Man boasts one of the most spectacular backdrops of all the UK's festivals - nestled at the foot of the mountains in Wales' Brecon Beacons National Park.

Although the Welsh government's plan for emerging from lockdown was more cautious than the England's, organisers were "ecstatic" to announce the festival would be going ahead on 16 July.

"A gigantic thank you to everyone for your patience over the past year," they added in a statement. "Seeing your faces in the fields is going to be nothing short of incredible!"

Originally due to take place in May 2020, Lancashire's biggest open-air music festival will now take place in the first weekend of September.

In celebration, the event is expanding to four days for the first time, with James and Lightning Seeds taking the stage on the opening night.

Festival Director Richard Dyer said: "We're going to throw the biggest, most outrageous party of 2021. We cannot wait for you all to see how we plan to transform the beautiful Williamson Park once again, into an amazing, sensory overloading festival site".

Originally scheduled for June, the Isle of Wight festival has been pushed back by three months. Organisers announced the "quartet of iconic names" taking the main stage and stressed the importance of being a Covid-safe event. "Over the coming months we'll be watching and learning from the events taking place before us and, of course, liaising with all the relevant authorities to make sure everyone - audience, artists, staff, the community - is kept safe," they added.

"It breaks our hearts to tell you that our 15th birthday celebrations are postponed once again".

One of the UK's most picturesque festivals, Kendal Calling had been optimistic about its prospects early in the year, telling fans they were "lucky that our on-site preparations don't begin for some time, unlike some of our much bigger friends in the festival world", meaning they could be more nimble in reacting to Covid-19 restrictions.

After the end to lockdown was delayed, organisers had hoped to keep the festival alive as part of the government's pilot scheme for live events - but they weren't selected for the programme.

"Going two summers without a festival is devastating for us," they wrote. "We need the support of our audience now more than ever, and retaining your tickets [for next year] would go the longest way in helping us during this period."

Latitude will take place with a full-capacity audience of 40,000 people as part of the government's Events Research Programme.

"The additional research collected at Latitude will benefit all festivals and live events moving forward," said festival director Melvin Benn. "Everyone will be welcome to attend as long as they have a negative lateral flow test or proof of two vaccinations."

The line-up had changed considerably since the festival was first announced, with Swedish headliners First Aid Kit no longer able to attend, and Lewis Capaldi cancelling all upcoming shows. However, Bastille remain in place as Sunday night headliners, with Wolf Alice and Chemical Brothers also on the bill.

Focusing on dance, hip-hop and R&B, London's Lovebox festival was set to expand in 2020 with a new stage, and headline performances by Disclosure; Khalid; Robyn; and Tyler, The Creator.

Until recently, the festival's website still carried a banner reading "see you in 2021" but the message was updated in May to the more generic, "Lovebox will return".

The team at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival say they are "devastated" not to be able to go ahead in 2021, despite "exploring all avenues" to make the festival happen.

"We simply would not be able to deliver a Love Supreme that lives up to our own and your expectations," they added.

Tickets will automatically transfer to next year; but refunds will also be available.

Organisers announced they were postponing from 2021 having "explored the possibility of moving the festival later in the year", which they found was not going to be possible. "We are now in the process of making some big plans for a triumphant return next year," they added.

Warrington's Neighbourhood Weekender attracted some controversy when Ian Brown pulled out of a headline slot, claiming the event was demanding Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of entry.

The event neither confirmed nor denied the claim, simply saying they would "comply with the conditions outlined by the government" when the event takes place in September (having been moved from its original date in May).

Brown was swiftly replaced by Mancunian indie band James. Fans who cannot make the rescheduled dates can apply for a refund.

An underground music festival, Noisily takes place deep in the heart of the Coney Woods - about 15 minutes from Market Harborough. Organisers had initially made a Covid guarantee - saying dates will be rescheduled if government advice changes, and anyone who can't attend rescheduled dates will receive a "100% refund at face value (minus booking fees)".

But after the government's announcement on 14 June, they had to backtrack on those plans.

"Today's announcement was the one that we dreaded," they wrote in a statement. "The wood and fields in which Noisily takes place are part of a working farm, meaning there is no scope to delay until later in the summer".

Describing the loss as "devastating", organisers promised the festival would return "stronger than ever" in 2022.

Last year, the Notting Hill Carnival was cancelled for the first time in its history. Organisers were hoping it could be resurrected for its 55th anniversary in 2021, but those hopes have now been dashed.

In a statement on 18 June, organisers said this year's Carnival "will not be on the streets due to the ongoing uncertainty and risk Covid-19 poses".

"This has been an incredibly difficult decision to make. Everyone involved in the event desperately wants a return to the road where Carnival belongs but safety has to come first and with the latest cautious announcement on the government's 'roadmap', this is the only way to ensure that," they added.

However, they said they were looking at holding "alternate events that will allow everyone to safely celebrate everything Notting Hill Carnival stands for", as they did in 2020, and that next year they hope to put on the "greatest ever" Carnival.

What started as a humble barbecue for family and friends in 1998 has turned into a fully-fledged festival with 11 stages and some of the biggest acts in the world dropping into Pete and Ella Nosworthy's farm in Herefordshire.

Although they initially hoped to proceed with this year's event, they were forced to pull the plug.

In a statement, Ella said the financial consequences of pressing ahead "could affect Nozstock's future and we simply cannot take that risk".

However, the Nosworthy family have since announced a special, one-day event on 7 August, to put "a little bit of Nozstock magic in your life". Headlined by Dub Pistols, it will see 1,000 people welcomed onto the farm, with overnight camping.

A brand new festival for 10,000 people in the "enchanted realm" of Hightown, near Liverpool, One In The Woods focuses on dance, techno and drum and bass.

Originally scheduled for 17-18 July, organisers swiftly booked new dates for August as soon as the government delayed the end of lockdown restrictions.

Another festival that's shifted from June to September to minimise the chance of cancellation, Parklife says it is confident it'll be able to host 80,000 fans at Heaton Park this autumn.

"We're not considering operating with social distancing - I personally don't like these socially distanced events," organiser Sacha Lord told the NME. "I think to go to a proper gig or a proper rave you need to be shoulder-to-shoulder in a hot sweaty environment. You cannot create that atmosphere at a socially distanced event."

The event's line-up is due to be announced on 23 March.

Last year, the BBC Proms managed to stage two weeks of socially-distanced concerts in an audience-free Royal Albert Hall. This year, as the venue celebrates its 150th birthday, organisers will stage six weeks of concerts, with full-capacity audiences.

The season will open with Vaughan Williams' Serenade To Music, described as "a love song to music and musicians" after a year of lockdown.

Other highlights include a family concert featuring all seven of the talented Kanneh-Mason siblings; and a season dedicated to Stravinsky, on the 50th anniversary of his death.

The festival will also welcome back Prommers - with about 1,000 tickets for every show available on-the-day for under £10.

"The acts are desperate to play, the kids are desperate to come," Reading & Leeds organiser Melvin Benn told BBC News last month.

The dual-site festival is due to take place on August bank holiday, by which stage most adults will have had their first Covid-19 vaccination, and many will have had their second shot. Benn said that, on that front, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had "got it right".

"I applaud him for that, and I am going to hold his feet to the fire on it. And I think there's going to be 200,000 young people holding his feet to the fire on that position as well."

After cancelling in 2020, Rewind said it had started "planning with confidence" for 2021 after the UK government revealed its four-step process for emerging from lockdown. Organisers of the 80s throwback festival even joked they'd formed their own SAGE committee - comprised of Sad Aged Gits from the Eighties.

The Perth leg of the festival was cancelled in April, based on guidance from the Scottish Parliament, but the two English concerts will go ahead as planned.

Organisers said they have plans in place for a "Covid-safe festival, including a refreshed line-up, to celebrate the best of British-based folk artists".

They added: "We have elected for outside stages and more outdoor activities, to ensure we can meet any possible Covid-related regulations that might be in place by August Bank Holiday."

Usually kicking off the summer festival season, Slam Dunk Festival organisers have made the decision to push back their event from its usual May bank holiday weekend.

"We feel the guidance now is clear enough to know the event will happen in September," says festival director Ben Ray.

One of about 25 music festivals to receive funds from the government's Cultural Recovery Fun, Solfest will return to the Cumbrian coastline over August bank holiday weekend "with no social distancing measures in place".

"We are also fortunate enough to have an additional nine weeks after the official end of social distancing measures to survive any short lockdown extensions," said organisers, before Boris Johnson announced just such an extension. If the worst comes to the worst, tickets will carry over to next year.

"We're devastated that we're having to postpone for a second year running," said organisers in a statement on 23 June. "We know this will be disappointing to everyone who had plans to attend, but also for all the artists, contractors and staff who count on Splendour for work.

"We can only say how sorry we are that we couldn't make it work for this year."

The festival will return in 2022, and many artists - including Becky Hill, Belinda Carlisle, Sleeper and The Selecter - have confirmed they will return.

"We're talking to the rest of the bands on the bill, as well as looking at some very exciting new additions," the team said on Twitter.

Celebrating its 16th year, the independent festival announced its line-up on 4 March, and reaffirmed it was going ahead on 29 July.

"To be able to confirm that Standon Calling 2021 will be taking place this year is something that brings me incredible joy," said founder Alex Trenchard. "We are incredibly grateful to our staff, artists and suppliers who have worked tirelessly with us to get to this point."

Trenchard said he was confident the festival could take place after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said England was "very likely" to emerge from Covid restrictions on 19 July.

However, he also called on Johnson to provide more support to the live music sector, saying: "Now is the time for government to go beyond words of confidence and finally step forward with the long called-for government-backed insurance for the festival sector."

Coming at the tail end of festival season, Norfolk's "bass and pop" festival looks more hopeful than most - and has already sold out. "Here's to a summer together," organisers declared last month.

Postponed from May, the three-day festival will see sets from the likes of Blossoms, Bugzy Malone, Mahalia, Fontaines DC. Pale Waves, and Holly Humberstone.

'We're delighted to be able to get this back in the diary," said Stuart Galbraith, of promoters Kilimanjaro Live. "It's a brilliant festival with huge potential in an area which has been traditionally over-looked as a music market."

Taking place less than a mile from Sheffield's city centre, Tramlines has transcended its roots as a free event to become one of the biggest festivals in the north of England.

The 2021 edition has been given permission to take place as part of the government's Events Research Programme, with a full capacity of 40,000 people.

There will be no compulsory social distancing or masks inside the event - but fans will have to provide proof of a negative Covid test, or that they have had two doses of a vaccine.

"We would like to express our solidarity with those festivals which have not been able to go ahead this year and those which are still seeking clarity," said festival director Timm Cleasby, as he announced the news. "Huge ticket sales across the sector show how keen fans are to come to our events and we want to help reassure them that we can welcome them back safely."⁣

Originally scheduled for July, the Scottish festival was pushed back to September in late March. Festival boss Geoff Ellis explained the date change was down to "a combination of the timetable to exit lockdown and the preparation time needed to put on an event of TRNSMT's scale".

But he was optimistic, saying the delay "gives us the opportunity to put on the best festival we can for our fans after such a long time without any live music", and added: "We will, of course, work with all relevant authorities to ensure we follow any guidelines that may be in place in September."

"The Godfather of the small festival scene," Oxford's Truck festival sold out before the line-up had even been announced.

But after the government delayed the end to lockdown, organisers took the difficult decision to cancel for a second year running.

"It's the news that many expected but few wanted," they said in a statement. Tickets for the 2021 festival will be automatically rolled over to 2022, but refunds will be available.

Once described as "the best thing to come out of Southsea since Peter Sellers", the Victorious Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2021.

Most of the bands who were due to play in 2020 are back on the bill this year, with Craig David, Supergrass and Rag 'N' Bone Man joining the headliners.

"This year's line-up is my personal favourite," says organiser Andy Marsh. "We believe there really is something for everyone to enjoy this Summer and we can't wait to welcome you all!"

Set in the picturesque, 5000-acre Cornbury Park, Wilderness festival offers a diverse line-up of music, theatre, comedy, forest bicycle rides, pop-up dining and even "paddleboard yoga".

"With government restrictions being lifted on the 19 July, we're delighted we will be able to welcome you to Wilderness this August," said organisers in a brief statement in June.

"Once again, guest experience continues to be our top priority and we are working with public health authorities to bring you the festival safely."

Wireless, which started out as a nuts-and-bolts indie rock festival in 2005 has, in recent years, transformed into the UK's biggest showcase for hip-hop and grime. The line-up for 2020's cancelled event included A$AP Rocky, Skepta, Da Baby, AJ Tracey and D-Block Europe.

This year's event has been moved back by two months, with organisers saying "early July was too much of a worry for us in the government's timing out of lockdown". The new dates mean the festival has had to move out of its home in Finsbury Park to a new venue.

"It is with great regret that we are cancelling Womad 21," said the festival's founder, Peter Gabriel, on 28 June.

"Without the simple support of a government insurance scheme or the guarantee of Test Event status, we cannot continue and put WOMAD's long term future at risk."

"We feel that our audience, artists, staff, and contractors, who have been amazingly supportive throughout all this, will understand the need for us to act to guarantee our survival."

Just days before taking the decision to cancel, Gabriel had warned the festival was without a government-backed insurance scheme.

Organisers of the 15,000-capacity festival had secured their "biggest line-up yet" in 2021 with acts like Manic Street Preachers, Jade Bird, Kelis and Sigala joining the headliners.

But after "gritting out teeth" and working through the delay to lockdown, they finally took the decision to delay the event on 1 July.

"It has been the hardest decision to make," they said in a statement, adding they had been "placed in an extremely awkward position" by the lack of government guidance or an effective insurance scheme.

"This week, we would usually start building our festival site and whilst all the planning is done and we are good to go, we now find ourselves in a position where we are unable to commit to the build of the site, as we have no solid guarantee of it being allowed to take place".

All tickets will roll over to 2022, with the festival pencilled in for 28-31 July.

All information was correct at the time of writing. Advice on public gatherings and Covid-related safety guidelines may change, and could affect the prospects of many events.

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