Popular festival cancelled for 2026 over costs

Hardwick Festival took place for the 11th time in 2025

An organiser of a popular music festival says he is being forced to cancel next year's event due to spiralling costs.

Hardwick Festival has drawn thousands of music lovers to the grounds of Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, County Durham, since 2013, with the likes of Pet Shop Boys, Olly Murs, Noel Gallagher and Snow Patrol taking to its stages.

But festival organiser John Adamson said the team need a year off to "have a rethink" due to "losing a considerable amount of money over the past three years".

"It is a sign of the times, infrastructure costs, artist fees, they are at an all-time high and I can't reflect that in the prices I charge to cover costs," he said.

The event is known for its diverse range of acts across seven stages.

Mr Adamson, owner of Hardwick Hall Hotel which runs Hardwick Festival, said this year's event cost £2.2m to put on.

He said costs had mainly been covered by bar and food sales, but it was no longer working that way.

"The costs are running away with ourselves and everything is going up and up," he said.

'Not giving up'

Mr Adamson said to reflect spiralling costs he would have to charge more than £100 a day for a ticket, adding "the industry needs to wake up on this".

"I think the agents are killing the game, the acts have doubled in the last two years and we have tried our best but we just can't continue losing money on this festival," he said.

The festival began as a one-day event and grew in popularity over the years, taking place across three days from 15-17 August in 2025.

With a capacity of 10,000 per day, crowds have seen a variety of acts including The Jacksons, formerly The Jackson 5, who performed in 2014, and The Specials in 2022.

Despite the postponement for 2026, Mr Adamson said the team were determined to do something for 2027.

"We are not going to give up, we will be doing something at Hardwick Hall, I am not sure what it is going to be," he said.

"A lot of people in Sedgefield have supported us over the years, but I need to have a wider range of audience come through."