The summer the music died: Hideaway Festival with headliners Bastille, James Bay and Clean Bandit is latest in line of events to be axed over cost-of-living concerns
- Hideaway Festival, set in Essex countryside, has been cancelled over rising costs
- The music event is the latest to be called off due to financial pressures
Hideaway Festival has become the latest summer event to be cancelled due to the cost-of-living crisis.
It was due to take place in woodlands on a privately-owned estate surrounding an 18th century manor outside Chelmsford from August 4-6.
But the summer festival has now become the latest to be scrapped after being called off with just two months’ notice due to ‘escalating production costs’.
The three-day music event was set to be headlined by a award winning acts including James Bay, Bastille and Clean Bandit.
Now, organisers have completely called it off, due to ‘numerous challenges’ including rising prices and the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.
Hideaway Festival’s organisers published a statement on their website explaining their decision to call the Essex event off
Dan Smith’s (pictured) band Bastille was set to headline Hideaway Festival on 6 August (File photo: Dan Smith performs at Reading Festival)
Clean Bandit (pictured) were due to headline Hideaway Festival on 5 August
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It comes as the latest summer festival to be cancelled due to rising costs after a flurry of events were called off due to the impacts of higher prices.
Major events including 1 Big Summer Festival in Plymouth, Chagstock Festival in Devon and Case Live in Torbay have all been cancelled in recent weeks due to costs getting out of hand.
Chagstock’s organisers last month said Britain’s cost-of-living crisis had led to ‘lower than expected ticket sales’ making it ‘impossible’ to hold the event.
The company that previously hosted Torbay festival Case Live also collapsed into bankruptcy as organisers blamed the ‘strain on disposable income’.
Legendary British festival Glastonbury in 2022 also hiked its ticket prices to £340 plus a £5 booking fee, due to ‘enormous rises in the costs of running’ the event.
Dan Smith’s band Bastille, who have scored several UK number one albums, were due to headline Hideaway Festival on Sunday 6 August.
Grace Chatto and her band Clean Bandit were due to headline the Saturday, while Brit award winner James Bay was also set to perform.
In a statement, Hideaway Festival’s organisers said ‘the entire team is extremely saddened’.
‘We have encountered numerous challenges, including escalating production costs and the prevailing cost of living crisis,’ they aded.
‘Despite our best efforts, we are unable to meet the costs associated with delivering a top quality event on such a large scale.’
Hideaway’s organisers previously said on Twitter on April 25th that early bird and tier one tickets were sold out, and suggested other packages were nearly sold out.
Chagstock (pictured) in Devon was cancelled because of ‘lower than expected’ ticket sales
James Bay was also set to perform at Hideaway Festival, which has now been cancelled due to ‘escalating production costs’
They said customers would receive refunds. Prices varied, but single day early bird tickets sold for £60.
The festival was previously called off twice in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus.
The Essex event – which marketed itself as a family-friendly event – offered glamping options and allowed customers to pay in instalments.
Crix is a privately-owned estate surrounding an impressive Grade II listed house and gardens off the A12 in Hatfield Peverel.
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