News / Vegfest
VegFest not set to return to Bristol in 2018
Bristol VegFest organiser Tim Barford has stated that a 200% increase in rent, imposed by Bristol City Council’s Parks Forum committee, is the reason why the festival will no longer be returning to the city after 14 years here.
The surprise announcement was made by Tim onstage during Bristol VegFest 2017 when it came to the Harbourside in May. Tim also manages VegFestUK which brings the vegan festival to sites across the country, including in Scotland, London and Brighton
The Bristol Parks Forum committee released a statement on February 24 outlining budget cuts of £4m to Bristol’s parks and green spaces, which will make the areas ‘cost neutral’.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol City Council said at the time: “We want to work towards making the cost of running our parks service cost neutral to the council. There will be a robust exploration of the options available resulting in a detailed plan for the long-term future. This might include looking at commercial business models, increasing our income and working with communities.”
VegFest Manager Tim Barford said that the committee’s position on Bristol’s parks and green spaces had had “a big impact” on his decision.”
“It’s been poorly managed, with a ‘non-negotiable’ position adopted by the council,” he continued. “I cannot work with a council that is going to increase its fees by 200% with less than 3 months’ notice before the event.
“We have no idea what’s going to happen next year. If the local council are going to move the goalposts any time they wish, then they threaten the whole event.”
Tim finished by saying, “I’d like to express a huge huge thankyou to all those who have supported this event over the years. Its been emotional”.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We work closely with organisers to support them in scaling events to what is affordable and achievable. We make a point of being upfront on the costs of hiring sites in the city, and additional charges for services ranging from emergency services support and crowd management.
“Vegfest has grown year on year, and the larger the event has become, so the cost to host it has increased. Whilst we understand that affordability is a big factor for event organisers, we too must operate a competitive charging policy to sustain such a busy annual calendar of events and avoid passing a burden on to local taxpayers.”
Read more: Food and drink fun, games and veggies
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
