UK music industry demands action to save summer festivals

Pandemic led to 90 per cent fall in festival revenue in 2020

The revenue of British festivals such as Glastonbury has plummeted since the start of the pandemic. Getty Images 

The British music industry is seeking government help to get major live events staged this summer.

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a 90 per cent drop in revenue for festivals in 2020, with fears of job losses for half of the 200,000 workforce.

Industry body UK Music called for a government-backed insurance scheme as part of a blueprint published on Tuesday.

It also called for grants and tax relief to get the sector back in business as soon as possible.

Officials said the industry – with a pre-Covid contribution to the economy of £5.8 billion ($7.9bn) annually – could play a vital role in galvanising the UK's recovery but that it needed time and support to prepare.

The pandemic came after a boom year for festivals, with visitor numbers up 6 per cent to 5.2 million in 2019.

"Government is rolling out the vaccine and is openly speculating about returning to normal by the spring," chief executive of UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said.

"But there is a serious risk that even if this proves to be a reality, lack of notice and available insurance options will mean much of the 2021 summer music season can’t go ahead."