Festival rings in '10th and final' birthday

Shindig is taking place at Dillington Estate in Ilminster

An event recommended by Glastonbury Festival organisers is being held for the 10th and final time.

Held at the Dillington Estate near Ilminster in Somerset, the final Shindig Festival opened on Thursday and will finish on Sunday.

The line-up promised a mixture of "old-skool royalty, festival residents with many rising stars".

Shindig's organisers said they would not be able to continue putting on the festival due to the "challenging landscape of the events industry".

There are no main stages at Shindig Festival

Emily Eavis previously recommended Shindig to those who were unable to score tickets for Glastonbury Festival.

There are no main stages at Shindig, just "a beautiful arrangement of themed dancefloors and corners to explore".

This year's bill features Brand New Heavies, Mad Professor featuring General Levy and Sandra Cross, and a DJ set from Groove Armada.

BAFTA-winning film, TV and radio stars Kurupt FM will also make an appearance.

In addition to the musical acts, comedians including Reginald D. Hunter, Angelos Epithemiou, Olivia Lee and Red Richardson will entertain revellers.

Art installations, a Magical Creatures dress-up theme, and free activities for children are also part of this year's event.

Around 10,000 people were expected to attend the final Shindig

Organisers said the decision to stop putting on the festival was contributed to by delayed ticket buying and a lack of government support.

In a statement, they added: "It's been increasingly difficult for independent festivals to operate.

"38 independent festivals have been cancelled or postponed this year."

Shindig co-directors Mojo Fell and Simon Clarke said their excitement was "soaring" for the final festival.

"We're throwing everything we have at it and going to make this the best weekend we have ever created," they said.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said they supported festivals through the pandemic with a £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund and recently extended their Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by £5m to cover festivals.

They added that applications were open for grants of up to £40,000, which will be available until March 2025.