Standon Calling Festival Enters Liquidation Ending Nearly 20-Year Run

Standon Calling, a popular music festival held near Ware, Hertfordshire since 2006, has been permanently canceled after 17 editions due to significant financial losses in 2022 and 2023. Despite efforts over the past 18 months to secure new investment, including talks with a potential investor for over a year, the organizers were forced to place the company into liquidation. The festival had attracted major artists such as Charli XCX, Madness, Primal Scream, and Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder, and had recently been granted a license to return in 2026 as a restructured event with reduced overnight camping and earlier closing times. However, the financial difficulties and inability to secure funding led to the cancellation of the planned return events, disappointing fans who had already purchased tickets for 2024. Additionally, some performers and vendors from the 2023 event reported being owed tens of thousands of pounds. Festival founder Alex Trenchard expressed gratitude to supporters over the years but acknowledged that the festival's traditional business model had become unsustainable amid rising costs and changing licensing conditions.