Askern Music Festival: Bosses issue update after summer concert postponed

The event, which was due to take place in Askern later this summer, has now been moved to the city’s Eco Power Stadium next summer after bosses failed to secure a licence for the event.

Headliner Billy Ocean will not be available for next summer’s show while fans have been told tickets for this year’s event will still be valid.

In an update, a spokesman said: “The AMF team would like to thank everyone for their patience since the announcement last week.

"We are working through emails and messages, and ask that you bear with us whilst we do this.

"In the meantime, we are pleased to confirm that Reverend and the Makers, Tom Meighan, The Farm, Afflecks Palace, The Rosadocs, Idle Noise, The Denaby's and Under The Influence so far have agreed to appear on the lineup at the Eco Power Stadium on 7 June 2025.

"We'll update more on the line-up and headliner when we can.

"The website will be updated in due course, as well as tickets being released for the new date.

"If you already have tickets, these will automatically be valid for the new date.

"In the meantime, thank you for your support and patience.”

The annual show was due to take place in the village on July 13 but South Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Fire Service as well as Doncaster Council’s environmental health and highways departments had all objected to the event at Askern Events Field over safety concerns, leading the authority’s licensing sub-committee to reject the application.

Last week, a spokesman for AMF said: "The decision to postpone comes after extensive work from the team to explore alternative venues within the area, all of which failed to meet the stringent safety requirements imposed by the Council.

"Despite our team’s intensive efforts to keep the festival in Askern, we have outgrown the town and can no longer feasibly hold the event here.

“We exhausted every possible avenue to address all aspects of safety, but unfortunately, our efforts fell short. The site’s limitations combined with the rigorous safety standards set by the Council presented a challenge that was just too much for us to overcome.

“While the lineup will remain largely the same, we understand the inconvenience this change may cause for some people. We are happy to address these refund requests on a case-by-case basis up until July 13, 2024.”

To request a refund, contact [email protected].

The statement added: “We truly appreciate your understanding and continued support – it means everything to us. The spirit of Askern Music Festival has always been about coming together as a community with friends and family to celebrate music.

It is the latest setback in a turbulent few years for the festival.

Last year’s event saw the concert switch to Thornhurst Manor – but the show was dogged by problems and complaints.

The festival was hit by traffic and weather issues as well as lengthy bar queues, with some gig goers vowing never to return.

Last summer, thousands flocked to Thornhurst Manor for performances by Razorlight, The Enemy, former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan and Space – but many revellers endured three hour queues at the bar and 90 minute waits to exit the car park at the end of the show which had to be cut short due to thunder, lightning and heavy rain.

There were also problems with card readers and overflowing toilets – with some festival goers vowing never to return.

In a full and frank statement, bosses admitted they had ‘underestimated the scale of the task at hand’ and thanked music lovers for their ‘unwavering support’ amid the problems, which they said were ‘completely inexcusable.’

The festival, which had been held at Askern Cricket Club until 2022, also featured acoustic sets from former Cast and The La’s guitarist John Power and former Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley.