Houghton Festival 2019 has been cancelled. 

Behind the decision are severe weather warnings, issued by the Met Office, including 60 mph winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rain. 

“Tragically, following this morning’s reports and further consultation with authorities, health and safety and all the festival directors, the decision has been made to cancel Houghton 2019,” the official statement reads. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, staff, and performers, which would be compromised if we were to go ahead.”

The event was due to start tonight, and run through to early Monday morning. 

Information on refunds will follow later today. 

More information will be added here soon. Meanwhile, you can read the full statement below. 

“Over night, weather conditions on-site at Houghton Festival have dramatically worsened and are set to deteriorate further into the weekend. 

“Tragically, following this morning’s reports and further consultation with authorities, health and safety and all the festival directors, the decision has been made to cancel Houghton 2019. 

“We are utterly devastated. All the hard work, love and creativity that has gone into planning and producing this year’s event made this an almost impossible decision to make. 

“This was set to be a wonderful weekend and the boldest step we have ever taken as a festival. However, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, staff and performers, which would be compromised if we were to go ahead. 

“Clearly this will cause a lot of disruption and a lot of questions. However for now we can confirm the following: 

—Houghton Festival 2019 cannot go ahead. 

—Please do not travel to the show. 

—Information regarding refunds will be available later today. 

—Please do not request refunds until we have confirmed the process. 

Please understand that this decision has been made with the deepest of consideration. 

Craig Richards, Tom Elkington, Tom Carpenter, Digby Neill (Houghton Directors)