MugStock festival off due to poor ticket sales
Event cancelled despite public plea
on offer if the event could not go ahead.
But sadly sales fell short by around 50 per cent of the target and festival organisers have instead set eyes on a return from August 2- 5, 2024.
Soaring costs impacted the budget by up to 40 per cent in some areas.
The MugStock statement on Saturday read: “We are sorry to report that we did not meet our ticket sales target this week.
“We did achieve our bestever sales, but it wasn’t enough. Having been absent from the scene for so long our visibility was almost zero as we started to plan MugStock 2023.
“It was always ambitious to bring back an event after a four-year break and establish it in a new site and new community.
“We were working to figure out every single logistical detail at the same time as trying to raise our profile.
“In the 11th hour, with a great public and press response to our appeal, we have achieved the visibility we have been lacking and we are excited to build on that with the luxury of time and many of the big jobs for next year are already completed.
“All ticket- holders have been contacted with an invitation to receive full refunds or roll their tickets over.”
A spokesperson praised the “heartwarming” support received, continuing: “We are not the only festival to have had to make this difficult decision and our sympathy goes out to all our friends and colleagues in the industry.
“We hope that everyone is able to rebuild for a successful 2024.”
The festival was to be headlined by Scottish rockers Idlewild, with funk DJ Craig Charles, beatboxer Beardyman and electronic duo Utah Saints also linedup alongside local talent.
The fifth MugStock was to make its Auchterarder debut.
Launched in 2015 in Mugdock Country Park, organisers hoped to move the festival to the site at Auchterarder in 2020 before the Covid pandemic.
Organisers of MugStock have said some key outlays increased by as much as 300 per cent from initial projections and resulted in the festival’s local debut being postponed until 2024.
The volunt e e r- l e d festival was to have taken place next weekend on Strathallan Castle Estate near Auchterarder.
In a challenging year for the UK festival sector, MugStock is the most recent in a spate of events which have struggled to contend with the dual impact of a trend which sees people purchase tickets for events later and invoices arrive earlier.
In a statement, the event’s directors said: “In the past week MugStock has received a great deal of press and public praise for their honest and transparent admission of slow ticket sales, and their call to action to potential ticket buyers to commit by Friday.
“The campaign resulted in our best sales to date, but fell ultimately fell short of target.
“Our campaign didn’t quite get us to a place where we could be confident that we could proceed without anyone losing out.
“Costs kept rising in recent months, with some key budget lines ending up 300 per cent over projections!
“This, combined with a disappointing yield from a mammoth fundraising effort, meant that the ticket income target just kept rising.
“We decided to pause and put our cards on the table before we passed the point where ticket-holders’ money had been spent on irrecoverable costs and, as a result, we’re relieved to be in the position of being able to send swift refunds to all who don’t choose to rollover to 2024.
“We didn’t get to put on the event we have been pouring everything into, but most of the work we’ve done in preparing for MugStock 2023 can be transplanted straight into next year’s event from August 2-5.
“We are not the only festival to have had to make this difficult decision and our sympathy goes out to all our friends and colleagues in the industry who have found themselves in a similar position.
“We hope that everyone is able to rebuild for a successful 2024.”
The statement continues: “Huge thanks go to all of our suppliers, acts, volunteers and partners for their support, with special thanks to all those who believed in us and invested in tickets.
“We have communicated with all ticket-holders to offer the choice of an immediate refund or a rollover for next year and have processed all requests received to date.”