Wolverhampton music festival cancelled again as lack of ticket sales blamed on Covid-19
A music festival in the Black Country has been pushed back by more than a year for the second time after ticket sales fell flat.
The Wolverhampton Council-organised Utilita Creation Day Festival had been due to take place at West Park in May last year before it was rescheduled to May this year due to coronavirus.
But now the two-day festival has been shifted once again – this time to next autumn – with organisers blaming the impact of Covid-19 on consumer confidence.
This year's gig would have seen the likes of the Happy Mondays, Echo & The Bunnymen, Friendly Fires, IDLES, Ash and Black Grape take to the stage at the park.
It will now take place at West Park over the weekend of September 2 and September 3, 2023. It is unclear who will be performing but bosses behind the festival are hoping the same bands will commit.
The postponement was decided by Toura Toura Festivals along with Wolverhampton Council.
Kevin Fitzgerald, managing director of Toura Toura, said: “The Covid pandemic has had a massive impact upon the music events industry nationally and unfortunately, lockdowns and restrictions have severely dented customer confidence.
"That is more especially the case with Creation Day which predominantly targets the 40 to 55-year-old ‘sandwich generation’ who are still balancing childcare and caring responsibilities or older parents.
"We are hopefully seeing the start of brighter times ahead for the industry but with two years of disruption caused by the pandemic and the knock-on effects for event organisation, we feel we have little choice but to move Utilita Creation Day Festival to a time which gives us the opportunity to see market confidence restored so we can showcase this fantastic event to its fullest."
Ian Fegan, director of communications and visitor experience at Wolverhampton Council, said: "This has been a difficult decision for us and our partners to make and one we are not taking lightly.
"We know this will be disappointing news and it is a sad reflection of the challenging and uncertain times we have all experienced – and are still experiencing.
"By moving Creation Day, we hope that there will be a brighter and more stable picture on the horizon so that we will be able to provide residents and visitors with the best experience that we can."
Utilita Creation Day Festival is being organised by Toura Toura Festivals in partnership with the council. The event is being sponsored by Utilita, one of the UK’s leading Smart PAYG Energy suppliers.
Tickets for this year’s festival will automatically transfer to the new date. If this date isn’t suitable, a refund will be available. Ticket holders will be contacted directly with further details by their ticket provider.
