Electric Fields music festival cancelled after venue change

A music festival has been cancelled after a backlash over a change of venue left fans requesting refunds.

Electric Fields had previously been held at Drumlanrig Castle near Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, and went on to attract 7,000 revellers after five years.

However, in April it was announced 2019’s event was being moved to the SWG3 event space in Finnieston, Glasgow, with a statement at the time blaming “the rising costs of producing outdoor camping festivals and ongoing logistical and transport challenges”.

The line-up included Metronomy and Kyle Falconer on Thursday July 4; The Vaccines and Malcolm Middleton on Friday July 5; and Frank Turner, Friendly Fires and The Futureheads on Saturday July 6.

Many fans on social media reacted badly to the news and asked about refunds – with nothing published on the event’s pages after April 29.

On Tuesday, organisers posted a statement online saying it was “with a heavy heart” the festival had now been cancelled.

It said: “This decision has not come lightly and we have put in our all to try avoid this outcome, however we have been faced with challenges that we simply cannot overcome.

“As of today, Electric Fields ceases trading. For information on ticket refunds, please contact your location of purchase.

“We cannot thank you enough for your support over the years and we are truly sorry that we have not been able to make this work…

“Never did we think the party we threw in a field in Thornhill for 100 of our friends would turn into a party for 7,000 in the grounds of a castle. Especially not in five short years.

“But it did, and that is thanks to all of you who came along and made it what it was.”

Iain Kyle is one fan who attended the festival before and managed to receive a refund last month after being “disappointed” with the switch to Glasgow.

He told the Press Association: “It was a great family weekend and it introduced the kids to some fantastic music they may otherwise not have experienced.

“The move to SWG3 just killed the whole vibe for me as it was no longer going to be time away and highly unlikely to be a similar atmosphere.

“It is a fairly congested market in Glasgow with TRNSMT and Summer Sessions already and they lost that family-friendly feature which made it so different.”

Leona Band, from Stirling, added: “I’m really upset that Electric Fields has been cancelled as it had such a happy atmosphere that was so friendly and with lots of really nice people. And I’ll miss seeing the great bands.”