ORGANISERS of a major music festival in the district have responded amid confusion over whether the event would still be going ahead. 

Concerns have been raised with the Telegraph & Argus regarding the Bingley Weekender, which is due to be held in the town from August 6 until August 9 this year. 

It came after a notification on the official Facebook event for the festival said it had been cancelled, prompting worry from those who had purchased tickets. 

When questioned about this, SSD Concerts told the Telegraph & Argus: “Facebook are currently investigating an issue with the Bingley Weekender event page, which is out of the hands of the festival organisers.”

After initial concerns over the festival were raised earlier this year, organisers said they were planning to go ahead in August, but further clarification was needed.

“Of course, this is an uncertain time for the live music industry, but we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to deliver a first class weekend of live music for our customers,” said a statement issued in May. 

It added: “We are feeling positive but need further clarification which hopefully will come very soon.”

When asked on the current position, SSD told the T&A yesterday: “As with all businesses in the events industry, we are waiting on guidance from the Government with regards to the future of live events.

"Once we have been notified of this, we shall ensure that ticket holders are notified as soon as possible. The safety and well-being of all involved is our foremost priority.”

Tickets for the festival remain on sale at this point. Last year’s Bingley Weekender had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first festival, held in 2019, filled the void left by Bingley Music Live, when, after weeks of speculation, Bradford Council announced it would not be running that year.

The Council said at the time that it had taken a “difficult decision” to scrap the event, which was due to be held in Myrtle Park in late August.

The latest update on Bingley Weekender came as Boris Johnson was due to make an announcement on the final step out of lockdown, originally slated for June 21.

As concern brewed over a delay, Greg Parmley, chief executive of trade body LIVE, said it would have a “seismic impact” on the sector.

He said: “Our initial estimates show that a delay of up to a month would lead to the cancellation of around 5,000 planned events.

"That’s everything from festivals to grassroots music gigs. We think it will cost the industry tens of millions of pounds and take work from thousands of people who have been without it for more than a year now. It is a seismic impact on the whole sector.”

Parmley called for the Government to publish its report into live events, which gathered data at pilot concerts including the Brit Awards at London’s O2 Arena and a festival at Sefton Park in Liverpool.

He said: “We think it is completely unacceptable that this document is so critical to the discussion around the reopening of live events but it is not being made public. We would really like it to be published now so we can see on what basis the Government is making decisions about the future of our industry.”