The troubled Doune the Rabbit Hole festival has been cancelled for good - prompting fresh concerns from performers and ticket-holders owed money by the event.
In a statement posted online, the organisers of the event said they were "beyond devastated" to make the announcement to cancel the festival for the "foreseeable future".
They point the finger at recent pressure from the Bectu union, which has been lobbying for artists to be paid in full ahead of playing the event - alleging that it had called for a 'boycott' of the event which had prompted a decline in ticket sales.
The statement also says the DTRH organisers would be taking legal action against Bectu for what it described as an "orchestrated spread of misinformation" against the festival.
It says: "We are beyond devastated to announce the cancellation of Doune The Rabbit Hole 2023 and the end of the Festival for the foreseeable future as a result of the call for a boycott of the event by BECTU.
"The team has tried everything in our power to recover from the challenges of 2022 and to produce the event our audience deserves, while making good on our promises to pay creditors from the 2022 event.
"Sadly, since the start of BECTU’s call for a boycott in June, based on a campaign of misinformation, the numbers are just not stacking up and we have no choice other than to cancel the event.
"We’ve looked at all options to keep the event on the table, as we know how much it means to all the people and families who have bought tickets, but we just aren’t able to produce the event in the current environment."
The move comes in the wake of repeated calls from both Bectu and the Musicians Union for artists and performers set to play at the event to be paid up in full ahead of playing in 2023, with the festival set for July 21 to 23.
Festival organisers had come under pressure after revealing a plan to pay off debts still outstanding from the 2022 event using profits gained from the next three years' festivals - with several big-name bands believed to among those waiting on five-figure fees.
Following a troubled build-up - which saw the festival only gain its safety licence hours before the event kicked off - the company which ran the 2022 festival, Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival Ltd, was put into liquidation, with responsibility for the 2023 event being taken over by Festival Beverage and Property Services Ltd.
The cancellation of this year's festival will attract fresh concerns from those booked up for the 2023 edition, as well as those owed money from both 2022 and 2023.
In the statement, the DTRH organisers state: "We know that we need to be as transparent as possible with you about the situation going forward so you can plan something else to do this summer - we can’t believe and are so sorry to be putting you in this position.
"In terms of refunds, we must urge you to contact your bank/credit card provider directly to process a refund, explain the situation to them and they should, in most cases, be able to help recover your money.
"The return of Volunteer Deposits has already been initiated, so if that applies to you, you’ll see the funds in your account already."
In this week's Observer, Bectu negotiations officer Paul McManus said: “We are very concerned about inexperienced volunteers being used on safety critical areas at Doune The Rabbit Hole. This is on the back of widely publicised failures to pay monies owed to musicians, crew, and other workers from previous years.
“We urge any workers or volunteers who are concerned about their payment, deposits, safety or any other issues with the festival to get in touch with us.
“No one wants to see a festival fold. We have a thriving arts and events industry in the UK that adds so much to our social and cultural fabric.
“However, the organisers were clear with Bectu when we met with them earlier this year, assuring us that everyone working this year would be paid 100 per cent of their fee in advance. That they are now suggesting that making these payments would jeopardise the festival unfortunately only illustrates our very real concerns.
"With many of our members still owed money from last year and no assurances around our safety concerns, we have regrettably had to advise our members to think carefully before committing to working at DTRH.”
