Common People festival cancelled after facing financial difficulties

The Oxford Times report that Common People festival has been scrapped, with debts amounting to over £267,000.

The debts are said to be owed to contractors, suppliers, and possibly artist fees. £5,000 of the debt is said to be owed to Oxford City Council for the hire of the park, while Direct Services is owed another £2,000, including the cleaning invoice. Oxford Story Museum is reportedly owed £1,000.

A spokesman from liquidator Begbies Traynor said to The Oxford Times, “Common People (Oxford) Limited and Common People Festival Limited went into liquidation and the business and its assets were not bought by any other company. As a result there will be no Common People festival in 2019."

Formed by Rob Da Bank, Oxford's biggest music festival launched in 2015, hosting local talent, as well as performances Fatboy Slim, De La Soul, Clean Bandit, Duran Duran, Primal Scream, and many more over the three years.

The news arrives after Bestival fell into administration in September 2018, soon followed by another list of unpaid artist fees from the 2018 festival.

Mary Clarkson, of Oxford City Council, said to The Oxford Times, "Not only did Common People bring world-famous acts to Oxford, they made a real effort to make the festival feel part of the Oxford community by providing low-cost tickets for Oxford residents, working with local artists, DJs and bands, and collaborating with local cultural organisations. The city council is committed to bringing another annual festival that celebrates Oxford’s culture and diverse communities to South Park as soon as possible, and we’re in discussions with other festival organisers about this."