Milford Music Festival cancelled for 2024 – but organisers say it could be back in 2025

A popular New Forest music festival has been axed this year as an appeal is launched for funding so it can return in 2025.

Thousands flocked to the Milford Music Festival last year, which was headlined by former Dire Straits guitarist John Illsley.

However, the scale of the event and the work involved, combined with costs and other commitments of volunteers, means it is unable to run this year.

Show spokesperson Fiona McDuff said the small team of eight volunteers gave “weeks and weeks” of their free time to put on last year’s event, impacting their day-to-day working commitments.

She told the A&T: “I personally cannot afford to put the time into it again that I did – it is weeks and weeks of work.

“What it now needs is for it to become a community interest company and to secure Arts Council funding.

“We need to look at it now as a business model and for the people involved to get remunerated.”

The scale of the event – which surpassed the expectations of organisers – also meant it needed to be run more professionally, she explained.

“We took ourselves to a level way outside a village shindig, and what we created was so brilliant that now everyone is watching,” Fiona said.

“It is a symptom of our success. When you’re managing that amount of people, it is a massive task.

“The reality of putting something like this together, with costs for marquees, sound, stage, insurances, toilets, security, first aid, rubbish collection, gaining sponsorship, music acts, road closures, plus everything else that goes with a great festival, means that this is a big undertaking and requires specialist skills.”

She said she was hopeful that if funding was found the event could run in 2025, and added volunteers were needed too.

“What we need is people who know events, who are in the industry, that understand the management and legality of [festivals],” she continued.

As reported in the A&T, thousands filled the village green and nearby streets during the three-day festival, with sets from Picture House, Roxanne Phillips, the Bob Rees Band, Murphy’s Lore, Glorias, Skamageddon and Lady Winwood’s Maggot.

The free event was funded by programme sales, sponsorship from local businesses and bar sales.

Those who can help with organising the 2025 festival should contact organisers through the festival’s Facebook page.