Warsash Festival cancelled permanently due to committee's workload

Last year saw more than 7,000 attend the Warsash Festival, which has taken place every two years since its founding in 2000.

The 10 members of the voluntary committee have made a unanimous decision that the Warsash Festival is to be wound up, with the committee issuing a statement saying that Covid-19 pandemic had ‘absolutely no impact’ on the decision.

Fareham Borough Councilor Trevor Cartwright, a committee member, said: ‘Covid had nothing to do with it.

‘It became too much for everyone – it began to feel like a full-time job. There’s an awful lot of work involved.

‘Last year we did it so well, we didn’t want to do a fudged version next year.’

A statement posed to social media on behalf of all the committee members said that their workload had become ‘totally disproportionate’ to the festival’s four-hour running time and a key contributor to the festival was unable to continue their commitment.

The statement added: ‘A significant continued contributor to the Warsash Festival who assisted in providing resources for the setup, management and clearance across the entire weekend has also decided the time is right and made the same decision to divert its attention away from the large “field-based” event.

‘The decision to end the current festival is not about lack of funding or the need for a larger committee, but a combination of reasons including demands in other areas such as health and safety and security.’

The festival, which is run as a not-for-profit event, has donated more than £12,000 to local groups from its fundraising surplus.

While the committee did not have a trademark on the Warsash Festival name, the committee hoped any new events would take on different branding to preserve the legacy of the festival, according to Councillor Mike Ford.

Cllr Ford said: ‘We would be able to offer our expertise to anyone wanting to create a new event.

‘We’re pleased we have been able to end the festival on a high from last year.’

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