British star Yungblud has announced his own music festival – saying the industry is too expensive and needs to be “shaken up”.
The genre-bending singer-songwriter will headline Bludfest, a one-day festival at Milton Keynes Bowl which will also feature acts including rapper and singer Little Yachty, punk duo Soft Play, and singer-songwriters Nessa Barrett, Lola Young and Jazmin Bean, plus The Damned in an “icons” slot.
Yungblud, whose real name is Dom Harrison, announced the event at a secret gig in Camden, north London, attended by about 500 fans.
Speaking to Sky News before sharing the announcement, the singer said he was fed up with gigs and festivals being too expensive.
“I think like it all needs shaking up a little bit,” he says. “I believe that the festivals, gigs and plans that are in motion aren’t representative of the people out there.
“I believe that gigs are too expensive, festivals are too expensive, and I just wanted to work to create something that has been completely done by me and my team to show that, you know what? It can be done better. It can be more representative.”
Tickets for Bludfest will be £49.50 – much cheaper than the price for day tickets for some of the big festivals.
‘We need to make music about people again’
“A lot of my mates, a lot of my family, my community, my fan base out there, can’t afford tickets, and it’s a real thing,” Harrison says. “Everyone kind of brushes over it. And it’s like, oh yeah… that’s just the way it is. I’m like, why is that just the way it is? That’s what I’ve always thought.
“I believe I’m so lucky to have [my fans] and I want to reflect how much they mean to me by going, like, we can actually change something and make a difference here because it needs to happen…
“I hope this starts this movement towards that, making music about people again.”
Yungblud has almost 4 million followers on Instagram and more than 5 million on TikTok, and his second and third albums both reached number one. He says he wanted to create something that is “all about community, about bringing people together”.
The festival will include a Make A Friend tent, for those attending on their own. And the star himself has promised to spend some time behind the bar before he takes to the stage.
“A lot of people don’t feel like they can go to shows alone, they don’t feel like they can go to events alone,” he says. “This is the one festival, if you go on your own, you’re not going to be lonely…
“I have a dream where like [someone says in the future], ‘I met my partner at Bludfest 2026, and now we’ve got kids’, or whatever.”
‘Keep up – or get left behind’
One of the other criticisms facing festivals in recent years has been gender splits, with Glastonbury announcing two female headliners for the first time ever this year after having three all-male acts close each night on the Pyramid Stage last year.
“It should be a conversation, that’s the thing,” says Harrison. “I laugh, me, because it’s like, that should be it. We’ve got to do it right. You’ve got to have representation in terms of race, in terms of gender and sexuality, and that’s just the way the world is now. So like, keep up – or get left behind.”
Following the pandemic and amid the cost of living crisis, the country’s smaller festivals are under more financial strain than ever.
According to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), which represents events ranging from 500 to 80,000 capacity, some 21 UK festivals have now announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure so far in 2024.
Among them is Nibley Festival, which is based in the Cotswolds and has been running since 2007 – organisers announced last week that this year’s event will be the last, saying rapidly rising production costs mean it is no longer viable.
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Organisers of Bradford’s Bingley Festival, which featured acts including Noel Gallagher‘s High Flying Birds, Ian Brown and Happy Mondays in 2023, have similarly said they cannot afford to put the event on this year and have called for help from the local council.
The AIF has warned that without support, the UK could see more than 100 festivals disappear throughout the year – after 36 cancellations in 2023 – and is campaigning for a VAT reduction from 20% to 5% on festival tickets.
For Yungblud, he hopes to start small and create something bigger.
“My plan is to take it worldwide eventually, but it’s starting in the UK right here at home on 11 of August in Milton Keynes Bowl. I can’t wait to see what people make of it.”
Bludfest takes place at Milton Keynes Bowl on 11 August, with tickets going on sale on Friday at 10am.
