Basingstoke music festival faces axe
Council say they want to find 'partner' to run B Love
Last updated 22nd Dec 2020
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has begun work to look for a partner to help run an annual two-day music and arts festival from 2021.
B LOVE Festival is an annual two-day summer event which brings over 100 live music acts, family entertainment and art in unusual places to War Memorial Park and is the finale event of Basingstoke Festival.
Following the introduction of a small entry charge from 2018, the event has been able to attract bigger and better acts to the borough while supporting the very best of Basingstoke’s live music scene, live arts and family fun.
However, the council say with covid recovery costs, it's time someone else came forward to run the event.
Organisations with experience in delivering large events and festivals are now being encouraged to take part in a procurement process to allow the council to identify partners who may be able to help deliver the event.
Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Partnerships Cllr Simon Bound said:
“Basingstoke and Deane’s cultural offer is an important part of what makes the borough a great place to live and visit and we know B LOVE Festival is a big part of this. However, as a council we are facing difficult decisions on how we should spend our money, in order to protect services that matter most to our residents.
“The council continues to get positive feedback from those who attend B LOVE Festival but to ensure it continues to be a great event for everyone and is sustainable for the future, it is important for us to look at running this event in partnership with a specialist organisation.
“I am looking forward to hearing from organisations who have experience in running large events and festivals. This feedback will help us understand how the event can be managed going forward and will be considered by the Cabinet before a decision on the budget is taken by Council in February 2021.”
If you would like to know more, please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=96c8075f-1b41-eb11-8106-005056b64545&p=08800155-5442-e511-80ed-000c29c9ba21 before the deadline of Monday 18 January 2021.
For more information about the Cabinet’s proposals to fund services in 2021/22 and to take part in the consultation, which runs until Sunday 3 January 2021, please visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/budget2020.