Why was We Are FSTVL cancelled? Everything to know about the London music festival 

We Are FSTVL, the acclaimed electronic music festival slated for May 25-26 this year, announced its cancellation via social media on Monday, April 29. The festival organizers shared how they were "devastated" to announce that the music festival was "unable to go ahead" for reasons that were beyond their control.

The East London music festival, held at Damyns Hall Aerodrome, Upminster, since 2013, was set to mark its 11th anniversary this year. According to their statement, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham offered the festival a new home in Central Park for this year.

However, shortly before the music festival was set to commence construction at the site, the Borough acknowledged its inability to "deliver the safe event space," leading to the festival's cancellation. They also highlighted the "record levels of rainfall" this year as the main reason for the cancellation.

Those who have already purchased tickets to We Are FSTVL 2024 will receive details about the refund via email.

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We Are FSTVL was cancelled due to "health and safety concerns"

A spokesperson for the Borough and Dagenham council also issued a statement regarding the inability to host We Are FSTVL on their grounds this year. According to MyLondon News, the reason cited was "health and safety concerns."

Here's their full statement—

"We are sorry to announce that We Are FSTVL event organized by Rebelia Ltd. and scheduled to take place in Central Park, Dagenham on the weekend of May 25-26 has had to be cancelled for health and safety concerns."

The statement further read—

[The council's] recent assessment the Central Park, after record levels of rainfall this year, has found the site cannot safely host the physical demands of We Are FSTVL's equipment and audience. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

The festival's cancellation follows the release of a weather report earlier in April, which stated that England received the highest level of rainfall between October 2022 and March 2024 since 1836.

According to Sky News, during this period, the country received 1,695.9 mm of rainfall, surpassing all previous records since the Met Office started collecting data over 180 years ago.

This year's festival was set to feature the legendary electronic duo Chase and Status as headliners, alongside Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz. Sam Divine, known as the First Lady of Defected, was also slated to headline, highlighting the festival's intent to celebrate female talent at the event.

Other performers in the festival included the Martinez Brothers, Hanna Steppa, Hybrid Minds, Heidi, Jamie Jones, and more.

The cancellation of the festival has disheartened many festivalgoers, with several asking them to hold it back in Upminster, where they never had an issue.

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We Are FSTVL celebrated its 10th anniversary in Upminster last year

In 2023, We Are FSTVL 2024 experienced huge success during the celebration of its 10th anniversary, held at Damyns Hall Aerodrome from August 25 to 27.

Marking the significant milestone, the music festival extended to an additional day, with a total of eight stages set up and featuring over 150 artists.

A highlight of the event was the performance by the electronic icon, The Prodigy, who headlined the event for the first time. Other names that performed on the festival's 10th anniversary include Joel Corry, Vintage Culture, LF System, Carl Cox, John Summit, and the Aussie tech-house legend FISHER.