Black Deer Festival 2025 Canceled Amid Escalating Costs

The organizers of one of Kent’s most significant music festivals have announced that the event will not proceed in 2025. Black Deer Festival attributed the “postponement” of the independently run event to “rising production costs and general economic conditions,” with plans to return in 2026. The annual festival, which commenced in 2018, is held at Eridge Park on the Kent-East Sussex border and has featured headline acts such as Sheryl Crow, The Pretenders, Bonnie Raitt, and Van Morrison. Gill Tee, a co-founder of the festival, stated: “This is certainly not the end of the Black Deer story. We are so proud to have built one of the most wonderful festival communities.” The festival, which centers on ‘Americana’ music, drew 5,000 attendees in its inaugural year and has since maintained an approximate capacity of 10,000 annually. Ms. Tee extended her gratitude to fans for their ongoing support, remarking: “I loved watching the joy on all your faces at the festival and to see you soak up the most wonderful festival atmosphere.” In June 2024, the Black Deer Group introduced two new initiatives: Black Deer Live, a live touring program, and Black Deer Radio. Chris Russell-Fish, the group’s managing director, confirmed that despite the festival’s cancellation, live music events would still occur across the UK. He added: “We are tremendously excited and looking forward to welcoming our current community and new fans to the genre, as we roll-out our other activities.”