HeritageLive has cancelled all of its summer festivals after saying a last-minute financial rescue package fell through.
The independent promoter announced that this year’s events at Englefield Estate in Berkshire, Audley End Estate in Essex and Sandringham Estate in Norfolk would no longer go ahead.
Organisers said they had been working to secure new investment to help the business through what they described as “an extraordinarily tough year”, but the deal collapsed at the “11th hour”.
In a statement, HeritageLive said it had “no choice” but to cancel the events.
The company blamed a combination of rising costs, lower-than-expected ticket sales and increasing competition within the live events industry.
It said the dominance of large multinational promoters had driven up the cost of suppliers, artists and staffing, while the cost-of-living crisis and wider financial uncertainty had affected ticket sales for several shows.
HeritageLive said it would have been “irresponsible” to continue without being certain it could meet payments to suppliers, performers and crew.
The company added: “The whole HeritageLive team is absolutely devastated. It would have been the most amazing summer with such an extraordinary array of supreme talent and we’re all so very sorry to let everyone down.”
Customers who bought tickets through official agents, including AXS, Ticketmaster, See Tickets, Gigantic, Skiddle and Ticketline, are being advised to keep their booking confirmation and contact their ticket provider if they have any questions about refunds.
HeritageLive said ticket agents, as the “merchant of record”, are responsible for processing refunds under consumer rights legislation, with many expected to be issued automatically.
The promoter thanked fans for supporting its events over the past decade, saying it hoped people would look back on the festivals with “fond memories” despite the disappointment of this year’s cancellations.
