Eridge Park Event

Friday, 13 December 2024 18:45

The next Black Deer American music festival has been cancelled but organisers hope the event will return in 2026.

The festival has been held in Eridge Park since 2018, regularly attracting 10,000 people.

The organisers blame the cancellation in 2025 on rising production costs and unpredictable ticket sales.

Gill Tee, co-founder of the festival, said: “This is certainly not the end of the Black Deer story. We are so proud to have built one of the most wonderful festive communities.”

Photo credit: Caitlin Mogridge

Photo credit: Catlin Mogridge

The festival focusses on Americana music, with previous headline performances including Van Morrison and Sheryl Crow.

The festival takes its name from the fact that Eridge Park is said to be the oldest deer park in Britain.

The Black Deer Group says it is now focusing on 44 live shows and its radio channel.

Chris Russel-Fish, Managing Director of Black Deer Group, said: “Whilst our three-day annual festival has brought Americana to many, we wanted to be able to bring Black Deer to even wider audiences around the UK—all year round.

“Through our new channels and our collective determination to do many more Black Deer Live Events in 2025, we are tremendously excited and looking forward to welcoming our current community and new fans to the genre as we roll out our other activities.”

The Association of Independent Festivals has reported that in 2024 the number of festivals postponed, cancelled, or completely closed has doubled since 2023.