Highest Point music festival 'having a year off'

The festival has been held each May in Williamson Park since 2018

Organisers of the Highest Point Festival in Lancashire have said they are "going to have a year off" in 2025.

The festival has been held each May in Lancaster's Williamson Park since 2018 and this year's top acts included Tom Odell and Busted.

Co-founder Rich Dyer said it will not take place next year, due to rising costs.

He said it is also "very difficult" to book big-name artists "especially for an independent festival in the north of England" and the event "hasn't made any money yet".

Busted were one of the headliners in May's event

"Our artist bill takes up probably half of the cost of putting on the show," he said.

"We've had a great run, we've had some great acts over the years, but ultimately the price of everything is going up and we need to refocus our energies on it.

"It's a huge decision there's a lot of energy goes into it, it's a year-long project working on it and we've lost money every year.

"We've dealt with Covid, the cost of living crisis and ultimately we're not on the right path and we need to start again."

He said the festival "has always been organised by a dedicated, small team from the local community" and "our income relies solely on ticket sales and bar revenues, which, given the current climate, simply isn’t enough to break even".

But he added: "We will come bouncing back in 2026."