Words by the Water book festival axed over cost of living

Organisers of Words By The Water said 2023's event is off with 2024 uncertain

A Lake District book festival is being cancelled amid the cost of living crisis with organisers uncertain of its long-term future.

Words By The Water was due to be held in Keswick in March 2023.

Director Leah Varnell said there was a "pincer movement" of escalating costs and declining ticket sales.

The announcement came shortly after organisers of the Keswick Mountain Festival said they would postpone 2023's event over costs.

Ms Varnell told BBC Radio Cumbria the cancellation of Words By The Water had been an "incredibly difficult heartbreaking decision".

'So uncertain'

She said the festival was held for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic in March with audience numbers "back where we hope them to be".

But at a sister festival in Totnes, Devon, in July, ticket sales had "absolutely plummeted" with Ms Varnell attributing the fall to the cost of living.

"People are feeling it and are worried about it," she said, adding: "The first things you jettison if you are worried about money are leisure activities or pleasurable things that you can do without when you need to be paying your gas bill."

Organisers say the festival brought up to 13,000 people to Keswick

Ms Varnell said the costs of putting on the festival were also rising in a "perfect storm" of problems for event organisers, adding: "Costs have escalated and ticket sales have declined and that pincer movement isn't something we can wear."

She said she hoped there may be a "phoenix-like rise from the ashes" but was not sure what the future would hold.

"Certainly 2023 isn't going to be possible," she said, adding: "Things are not going to be better by spring.

"It's all so uncertain and I certainly can't say we will be back in 2024 but we really hope we might be able to do something."

Ms Varnell said they 10-day festival brought up to 13,000 people to Keswick and she was "conscious of the impact on the local economy of us not being there".

A spokesman for Theatre by The Lake, which hosted the book festival, said the cancellation was "sad" as it had been an "immensely popular part of our programme".

"We will be working with the organisers to consider a possible legacy for the festival," the theatre added.