Lost income from a rain-impacted event last year coupled with slow ticket sales this year blamed for cancellation

Livestock is scheduled to take place at Forty Hall Farm in July — credit Livestock

The organisers of a music festival in Enfield have announced the cancellation of this year’s event after being hit with financial pressures.

Livestock Music Festival had been due to take place at Forty Hall Farm on 27th July but the combination of a rain-impacted event last year and slow ticket sales this year led to the organisers cancelling the 2024 event and issuing refunds to those who have pre-bought tickets.

They had issued an appeal to help save this year’s event last month.

But in a statement put out last night (Wednesday 3rd), Paul Dengel and co-organisers Jody and Vicky said: “It is with great sadness that we have been forced to cancel the Livestock Music Festival 2024.

“Despite fantastic support from you, the people who make these events possible by buying the tickets, we are too far off target to take the risk of going ahead.

“Livestock is a not-for-profit community enterprise which exists purely to raise funds for, and produce, the Livestock Festival. Everything we do is entirely focused on that goal.

“Several factors have contributed to this unwanted outcome. Losses caused by the rain last year wiped out the small reserves we had, together with increased costs since Covid and reduced ticket sales for the event this year, mean that the financial risks of going ahead are too great as these risks would fall on the three directors behind the organisation of Livestock.

“We do not have corporate backers, sponsors or sadly a magical pot of gold to rely on, only our enthusiasm and desire to put on the event so the people of Enfield, our hometown and beyond can have a high quality, accessible festival on their doorstep.”

However, it is still hoped that the event, which platforms local acts across a range of genres as well as some of the country’s best cover bands, will return in 2025.

The Livestock team also puts on monthly shows at Forty Hall Farm called ‘Music at the Black Barn’.

The statement continued: “It is really important to us that Livestock is fit to come back next year, so while it is not what we want, it is absolutely necessary to cancel this year to ensure the future security of the event we have worked so hard to build.

“We are already looking at dates for the future and exploring plans to put on great shows over the summer, so rest assured that we will be back and as ever we will be working hard to make sure the next one is better than ever.”

Refunds are being processed over the next week.

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