Takedown Festival 2024 postponed due to renovations

In a disappointing turn of events for music fans, Takedown Festival has announced a postponement of this year's highly anticipated event, originally scheduled to take place at Portsmouth Guildhall on 13-14 April 2024.

The decision comes after careful consideration, as ongoing building works at the Grade II listed venue have extended across the festival dates. These renovations aim to transform the basement of Portsmouth Guildhall into one of the most innovative creative spaces for young people in the country. Unfortunately, this has led to the loss of two key areas of the festival site and a reduction in capacity, making it unviable to proceed with the event this year.

Andy Grays, Director of Takedown Festival Ltd and CEO of The Guildhall Trust, explained,

"Like many historic buildings, the building works to the basement of Portsmouth Guildhall have given contractors a few surprises along the way! The Base will be one of the most unique creative spaces for young people anywhere in the country once completed, and an incredible asset for Portsmouth, but obviously the unforeseen extension to the works and impact on Takedown Festival will be disappointing for the bands and fans alike."

Despite efforts to mitigate the challenges, including extending early bird pricing initiatives and offering split payment options, the combination of the extended building works and challenging trading conditions has left the organisers with no choice but to postpone the event.

Kai and Sarah Harris, Directors of Takedown Festival Ltd and Divergent Festivals, expressed their understanding of the tough circumstances many people are facing and their determination to come back stronger next year.

"We know a lot of people are finding things tough at the moment and while we have extended our early bird price initiatives and offered split payment options, as one of the first festivals of the season, we have found this year to be particularly challenging. This combined with the impact of the extended building works has forced us to consider all options and postponement is the only viable option for this year. Takedown Festival has a really loyal following, and we are determined to use the additional lead-time to hit back next year and deliver the event the fans deserve!"

Although disappointing, ticket holders can rest assured that they will be refunded by their point of purchase. Meanwhile, plans are already underway for Takedown Festival to make a triumphant return in 2025, with hopes of carrying forward much of this year's lineup. Further details about the future of the festival will be announced in due course.