Newark Blues Festival cancelled for forseeable future

A popular festival that showcased the best in blues music has been cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Newark Blues Festival attracted thousands of people to Newark Castle and pubs in the town and played host to some of the biggest names in blues music.

The festival was nominated four times in the best festival category of the British Blues Awards, finishing runner-up in 2012.

It was last held in 2016, when more than 50 free blues performances took place throughout the weekend. There were also free workshops for young musicians.

The festival was organised and staged by volunteer musicians and music enthusiasts on a not-for-profit basis, with the intention of it becoming an established annual event.

Last year’s event was cancelled, but they had hoped to return this year.

In a statement, the organiser said a lack of resources made it too difficult to organise a high-quality festival.

The statement read: "After a lot of thought and very careful consideration by members of the committee, it has been decided that Newark Blues Festival will no longer be taking place, at least not for the foreseeable future.

"Considering the popularity of previous festivals, this decision has not been taken lightly.

"It has been reached as a result of a number of factors — financial, personal and logistical — that mean we are no longer able to stage an event to the standard that everyone has become accustomed.

"Newark Blues Festival was a not-for-profit event, organised completely by unpaid volunteers, with costs underwritten by private individuals.

"Unfortunately, other commitments mean that the resources required to organise and stage a high-quality festival are no longer available.

"Many thanks for your support over previous years and please continue to support the numerous live music venues around Newark that have been such an integral part of Newark Blues Festival."