A Perthshire festival has been cancelled less than a fortnight before it was due to begin.
Mugstock was scheduled to make its debut at Strathallan Castle, near Auchterarder, on the weekend of August 4-7.
But it has been called off due to low ticket sales.
However, it has vowed to make a return for 2024.
Event was to be held at T in the Park venue
Mugstock takes its name from Mugdock Country Park near Milngavie, where the festival began in 2015.
The volunteer-led event was a popular hit with families and usually attracted around 1,500 partygoers.
This year it was to finally make its debut on the former venue for T in the Park, where it was first earmarked to be held in 2020 before being postponed due to Covid.
The 2023 Mugstock line-up included Scottish indie legends Idlewild, electronic duo Utah Saints and actor and DJ Craig Charles.
But the festival recently reported that it needed to sell 600 tickets by last weekend to ensure the go-ahead.
Independent festivals losing out in cost of living crisis
That target was not reached, confirmed Laura Frood, the festival’s charity development consultant.
“Independent festivals are struggling across the board,” she said.
“Cost of living is impacting on people being able to afford these festivals.
“It’s now even more of a luxury than it was before.
“In previous years you would have a core group of festival goers who would go to every one.
“By the end of summer their wrist was full of bands from the summer.
“Now they are prioritising one experience over others due to the costs attached to them.
“So it means the biggest and older more established festivals are the ones people go to, ahead of the smaller ones.”
Hopes of ‘collective voice’ to secure 2024 Mugstock
The news comes after the cancellation of Otherlands at Scone Palace and Doune the Rabbit Hole in historic Perthshire.
Laura says the support Mugstock received in its appeal for more ticket sales bodes well for the festival’s return in 2024.
“We took an honest and transparent approach and said that if we don’t get more sales we can’t go ahead,” she said.
“The post was the biggest reach we have had in terms of social media and it attracted more ticket sales.
“But it just wasn’t enough and we were still quite a bit short of the mark.
“We will continue.
“We will build on that momentum and hopefully get a collective voice with other festivals behind the need for independent festivals such as ourselves.”
