Bingley Festival have issued an update on the current state of the much-loved music festival after doubts concerning its return in 2024.
In recent years Bingley Weekend has been widely successful, hosting the likes of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Ian Brown, and Travis. In 2023 around 17,000 people visited the Bradford and Bingley Festival for the celebration.
The statement read: “Our loyal friends, it’ll come as no surprise, but with a heavy heart, we must announce the difficult decision to postpone Bingley Festival until 2025.”
The future of the festival has been in doubt for some time, with promoter Aaron Mellor statin in March of this year: “at the moment the festival isn’t going to happen this year, or it’s very unlikely to happen this year, and the reason for that is production costs have gone through the roof.
The announcement cited that “rising costs of running the festival” were to blame for the event’s cancellation, however it urged fans not to worry, as “we have taken a year off to plan for an exceptional event next year, which will be part of the Bradford City of Culture 2025 celebrations.”
Noel Gallagher at Bingley Festival 2018. Photograph: Tracey Welch Photography
It continued: “the decision was not taken lightly, and we have exhausted all options to welcome you back in 2024. Unfortunately, many events face similar financial challenges in these unprecedented times, resulting in several other independent festivals postponing their events recently.”
“With your continued support and our commitment to delivering exceptional line-ups, we aim to shape the future of Bingley Festival.”
“Thank you for standing by us, and we look forward to seeing you next year.”
With their promise to return in 2025, fans shared both their disappointment and their anticipation for the event’s comeback, with one Instagram user commenting ‘Gutted! But excited for 2025’ and another writing ‘Such a shame but I’m sure you’ll come back bigger and better in 2025.’
Bingley Weekend is amongst many festivals that have found themselves in a tough position this year, with upwards of 25 events cancelled or postponed. These include the likes of Neighbourhood Weekender, and the Glasgow Riverside Festival, who also cited financial challenges.