Takedown Festival | Rock and metal event to return to Portsmouth Guildhall for expanded two day outing in 2024

Published 17th Apr 2023, 13:41 BST

Updated 17th Apr 2023, 13:41 BST

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Following a successful debut outing at Portsmouth Guildhall, rock and metal event Takedown Festival’s organisers have announced it will return next year over two days.

The sell-out one-day event took place at the Guildhall on April 8 where more than 40 acts appeared across five stage.

Heavy hitters of the rock and metal worlds, Sleep Token and Skindred headlined the event with Loathe, Jamie Lenman, Punk Rock Factory, InMe, Palm Reader, Our Hollow Our Home, As December Falls, CLTDRP, Fearless Vampire Killers, The Bottom Line, Seething Akira and Dendera among the other bands to perform.

After an eight-year hiatus, the festival which had previously been held at Southampton University and Salisbury City Hall was brought to Portsmouth in a new partnership between The Guildhall Trust and Divergent Festivals.

Sleep Token at Takedown Festival, Portsmouth Guildhall, April 8, 2023. Picture by Chris Meany

Sleep Token at Takedown Festival, Portsmouth Guildhall, April 8, 2023. Picture by Chris Meany

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Co-directors of Divergent Festivals, Kai and Sarah Harris said: ‘We have been absolutely blown away by the support and feedback we have had for Takedown Festival this year and can’t wait to work with The Guildhall Trust to make it even bigger and better across two days in 2024. A limited release of Super Early Bird Weekend tickets are already selling very quickly and opportunities for sponsorship and advertising are also now open – get in touch to find out more.’

Chief Executive Officer for The Guildhall Trust, Andy Grays, said: ‘We were delighted to bring an alternative rock and metal festival to Portsmouth featuring such a great calibre of artists. Portsmouth has a fantastic music scene, but we felt there was a gap in the market for fans of this genre. As a cultural management we have invested considerably in our events programme in recent years to develop additional income streams and diversify our business model.’

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For The Guildhall Trust, Takedown Festival is the latest addition to its portfolio of events that they produce and manage, a programme which the trust has substantially invested in over the last five years with other events including Portsmouth Comic Con, Dance Live! Guildhall Games Fest, Fiesta, Big Mouth Comedy Festival and more.Super Early Bird Weekend tickets for Saturday and Sunday April 13-14 2024 at Portsmouth Guildhall are on sale now for £66 plus booking fee at takedownfestival.com.