Sandringham music festival scrapped at eleventh hour as organisers blame financial struggle

A festival planned on the King's Sandringham estate in Norfolk has been cancelled, with organisers lamenting financial troubles.

GCE Live confirmed they had pulled the plug on the festival today, leaving tens of thousands of fans without the star-studded concerts they had anticipated at some of Britain's most prestigious historic estates.

The independent promoter announced on Monday that events scheduled for the King's estate, Audley End House in Essex, and the Englefield Estate in Berkshire would not proceed after a last-minute financial rescue package collapsed.

Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Eric Clapton and Lionel Richie had all been confirmed for the Sandringham dates in August.

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Scissor Sisters and Faithless were among acts booked for Audley End, whilst Richard Ashcroft was set to headline at Englefield later this month.

The earliest cancelled performance was scheduled for July 23, less than a fortnight away.

In an online message, the group said they were "devastated" to confirm the cancellation, adding: "As one of the few remaining British independent promoters, it's become almost impossible to compete in what has become an increasingly saturated festival market."

"The might of huge multinationals has had the adverse effect of driving up supplier, artist and staffing costs," the statement read.

"The cost of living crisis combined with general financial uncertainty has resulted in several shows having far lower than average ticket sales."

The Sandringham festival had been expanded to a five-day programme running from 19 to 23 August, with around 30,000 music lovers expected to attend.

Ms Jackson was due to open proceedings, while Mr Richie had been scheduled to perform his sole British concert of the year on 20 August, followed by Ms Aguilera alongside Craig David and Blue the next evening.

Ricky Martin, making his first UK concert appearance in over a decade, was booked for 22 August with the Sugababes and Olly Alexander.

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Glamping and camping facilities in surrounding fields had also been arranged for festivalgoers.

However, the cost-of-living crisis and broader economic uncertainty had resulted in ticket sales falling well below expectations across multiple shows.

Heritage Live has spent the past decade bringing major concerts to Britain's most distinguished country estates, with previous lineups featuring The Who, Sir Tom Jones and Sir Van Morrison.

The festival series organiser, Giles Cooper OBE, serves as chairman of the Royal Variety Charity and produces the annual Royal Variety Performance.

The King first welcomed Heritage Live to Sandringham in 2023, initially hosting three days of performances before this year's planned expansion.

Ticketholders who purchased through official agents including AXS Ticketing, Ticketmaster, See Tickets, Gigantic, Skiddle or Ticketline should receive automatic refunds.

GCE Live advised customers to retain their transaction receipts and contact their ticket provider directly with any queries.

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