One of the North East’s most popular summer events, Hardwick Festival, will not return in 2026 as organisers battle rising costs and financial strain. The much-loved music festival, held annually in the scenic grounds of Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, County Durham, has been a highlight of the region’s cultural calendar since 2013. Over the years, it has drawn crowds of up to 10,000 a day to see major acts such as the Pet Shop Boys, Olly Murs, Noel Gallagher and Snow Patrol.
Festival organiser John Adamson, who also owns Hardwick Hall Hotel, confirmed that the event will take a year off to “have a rethink” after three consecutive years of financial losses. He explained that the festival, which cost £2.2 million to stage this year alone, has been hit hard by soaring infrastructure and artist fees.
“It is a sign of the times, infrastructure costs, artist fees, they are at an all-time high and I can’t reflect that in the prices I charge to cover costs,” Mr Adamson said. “The costs are running away with ourselves and everything is going up and up.”
Hardwick Festival is known for its diverse line-ups spread across seven stages and for offering a mix of established stars and emerging talent. However, the economics of running such a large-scale event have become increasingly unsustainable. Mr Adamson said the business model that once relied on bar and food sales to balance the books no longer worked.
He added that to offset the rising costs, ticket prices would need to exceed £100 a day, something he believes would make the event unaffordable for many festival-goers. “I think the agents are killing the game, the acts have doubled in the last two years and we have tried our best but we just can’t continue losing money on this festival,” he said.
Despite the setback, Mr Adamson insists the spirit of the Hardwick Festival will not be lost. The event, which grew from a one-day celebration into a major three-day festival, will take a break in 2026 but could return in a new form the following year. “We are not going to give up, we will be doing something at Hardwick Hall, I am not sure what it is going to be,” he said. “A lot of people in Sedgefield have supported us over the years, but I need to have a wider range of audience come through.”
As the Hardwick Festival postponement highlights, the challenges facing the live music industry are deepening, with organisers across the UK struggling to balance passion and performance against soaring costs and uncertain returns.
