Ray Foulk, the Isle of Wight Festival co-founder, has recently spoken out about what “grieves” him about modern festivals.
READ MORE: Why have so many UK festivals been cancelled or postponed?
The festival organiser recently spoke to PA, where he reflected on nearly 25 editions of the festival. Foulk founded the event alongside his brothers Ron and Bill.
Speaking to PA, Foulk said: “The festival, with the likes of Bob Dylan and (Jimi) Hendrix and Joni Mitchell and people, it was a pilgrimage for the counter-culture, and the songs and the artists were singing about trying to make a better world.
“It was very political in that sense. Nowadays, it’s not that, it’s entertainment rather than a pilgrimage for people thinking about how to make a better world.”
Foulk went on to add that “festivals are beautifully organised now,” saying: “I mean, our thing was fairly well organised in many ways, but it wasn’t anything like a festival today in terms of the range of facilities and things going on and great organisation.”
“I’m certain they’re better in that respect, but in another way, it grieves me that young people are not out there seeking a better world in the way that we were,” he concluded.
Festivalgoers at Isle Of Wight Festival 2021 at Seaclose Park on September 18, 2021 in Newport, Isle of Wight. (Picture: Mark Holloway/Redferns)
Festivals have been facing a mounting crisis thanks to the pandemic and little support from the government, with 40 UK festivals cancelled this summer.
In a report made by the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) this May, an additional 170 festivals were shown to have disappeared over the past five years.
In an NME investigation exploring the wave of festival closures, CEO of the AIF John Rostron explained: “The number one was reason was economic and financial pressures,” said Rostron of last summer’s cancellations. “It comes from a mixture of rising supply chain costs, and if they weren’t selling as many tickets – even by a small percentage – the difference on the increase in prices and difficulty in terms now in place meant they had to cancel.
“A number of festivals happened where everything looked good on the surface. The customers came, had a good time, the bands played, but the festivals actually lost money. Some of them are in difficulty or might be in difficulty if there isn’t a good wind. That’s very worrying. These festivals are around and don’t appear to be on fire, but maybe they are.”
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