Photo credit: Langelands Festival
The Langelandsfestival, one of Denmark’s oldest music festivals, has filed for bankruptcy, leading to the cancellation of this year’s event.
The annual Danish music festival Langeland Festival, one of the country’s oldest music festivals, has filed for bankruptcy. The event was first launched in 1991 and has traditionally had around 35,000 visitors.
In December last year, the festival organizers announced that a 2023 edition would not be possible due to financial problems related to the 30th anniversary edition in 2022. But festival organizers released a statement last month saying that Langelandsfestival “sadly has to announce that the business is closing”.
“It has always been a great pleasure for me to organize the Langelands Festival and even though the economy has faltered, I have always believed in the concept. However, the challenges of recent years, the market and the prospects as such have challenged me in this way of thinking,” says Allan K. Pedersen, festival director and owner of Langelandsfestival since 2006.
“What I liked most was that I got to meet guests, crew and partners during my walks around the festival site,” continues Pedersen. “Happy people who created their own festivals and enjoyed their (holidays) with us. It annoys me all the more that we didn’t sell enough tickets this summer.”
According to the festival’s official statement, not enough tickets were sold to ensure an “acceptable festival economy, and after all bills for 2022 have been settled, there is a large deficit in the millions”.
“After an extensive search of the market for alternative solutions and several meetings with potential partners and stakeholders, we unfortunately have to conclude that a sustainable future for the festival has not been found. We would also like to inform our business partners and suppliers that there are currently no legitimate invoices that remain unpaid,” the festival statement said.
“We would like to thank our dedicated crew, artists, guests and everyone who has supported Langelandsfestival A/S over the years,” the statement continued. “Even though Langelandsfestival A/S will be closed, the memories and moments from the festival will always be part of our common history. Thank you for 30 years – we hope you will all support other festivals and cultural events in the future.”
Past performances at Langelandsfestival have included Santana, The Corrs, Earth Wind & Fire, The Doors, Thin Lizzy, Sugarbabes and Rick Astley.