Festival cancelled as organiser vows 'never again'

A music festival has been cancelled, with the organiser vowing never to hold an event in the area again.

Stir Events said rising costs and ongoing objections to Cliff Top Music Festival in Highcliffe, Dorset, meant it would not go ahead on 5 and 6 September.

A statement said: "Ongoing pressures, objections and lack of positive support - morally and financially - along with increasing prices for event infrastructure, has taken a toll on both our organisation and our volunteers."

Highcliffe and Walkford Parish Council said it had previously provided "significant grant funding" to the event and it was a "a loss to music lovers".

Managing director Mandy Polkey apologised to supporters, adding: "It is the worst thing I have ever had to do."

She said: "It is so frustrating that we have had to cancel this event.

"I want to put on events in areas that are going to support me.

"Stir Events will be moving out of Highcliffe, we will never hold another event in Highcliffe again.

"The people supporting it have been wonderful, but it is the minority that have ruined it for the majority."

The festival began as a free, one-day, community event in 2023, attended by about 8,000 people.

Polkey previously said its popularity had been unexpected, putting pressure on parking and traffic, so fencing and ticketing was introduced in 2024, along with a park-and-ride.

About 2,500 people attended in 2025.

Stir Events sought permission for a three-day festival in 2026 but scaled it back to two days following objections, with 4,500 tickets available each day.

During the licensing consultation, Highcliffe and Walkford Parish Council was among 22 respondents citing concerns about noise, antisocial behaviour and transport issues, according to the Local Government Reporting Service.

But it awarded the event a £10,000 grant in 2025 and £8,500 in 2024, and said it was expecting an application for 2026.

Polkey said she had not applied, anticipating it would be refused.

The parish council said the cancellation was "a loss to music lovers".

A spokesperson said: "It's been a fixture here for three years and the parish council has provided significant grant funding to keep it going.

"This cancellation has come as a great surprise and will be a huge blow to everyone who's worked so hard on it."

Ticket holders are being refunded.

Headliners Robert Arkins Commitments said they would perform at the Old Fire Station, Bournemouth, instead.