Town's music festival to end after 16 years

Music of many genres was played in venues such as pubs, clubs and municipal buildings

A free music festival in a town that has been run by volunteers for 16 years will no longer be held.

Hertford Music Festival said it was "over" as it was no longer able to comply with advice given by the Hertfordshire Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

It said going forward it was "impossible" for five people to organise the annual Musical Mystery Tour (MMT).

The advisory group, which consists of local authority and emergency service representatives, said its suggestions were "advisory" for the public's safety and wellbeing.

The music festival has been held in the town for many years

"This is a very sad moment for us. Our baby's grown too big," a statement said on Hertford Music Festival's Facebook page.

It said with just five people organising it with full-time jobs it had "100 too few to achieve what's now being asked of us".

It said the SAG had "given us a long and onerous 'to do' list" that was not mandatory but "impossible" to meet.

"In short, we just can't do this anymore," it added.

The last MMT was held on 28 August.

Many musicians took part in the last event in August 2022, from 11:00 BST to midnight

A joint statement from East Herts Council and Hertfordshire Constabulary said it was the "organiser's responsibility to take on-board the advice when preparing their event".

"During a debrief of the MMT 2022, several public safety issues were raised and discussed with the event organiser along with suggested actions they could take to minimise the problems happening again," it said.

"The group does not have powers to object to or cancel an event and it is for the organisers to decide whether or not to hold an event in 2023."

It said if the event did continue it would be "happy to reconvene a SAG meeting to offer the necessary advice and guidance".

Hertford Music Festival began in 1994 and was last held in 2022