Why is Towersey Festival ending? History behind one of UK’s longest-running events, explored

After its long run of 60 years, organizers of the Towersey festival have confirmed the news of its end. Founded in 1965 by Denis Manners MBE, the management of Towersey is currently being handled by Manner's grandchildren Joe, Mary, and Kath.

The last Towersey festival is set to take place on August 23 to 26, 2024, in Claydon Estate, Buckingham, United Kingdom. The festival's organizers mentioned in a note titled "Why the last Towersey?" on the website, stating that it is with the "heaviest of hearts" that they have made the decision and that:

"Like so many other independent and grassroots festivals, we have faced too many forces outside of our control which have made it increasingly difficult to operate and survive."

The note also thanked fans and attendees of the festival for their support and mentioned their partners, supporters, suppliers, and funding for this year as well. Towersey's website mentioned that they are proud of the contributions made towards local causes, tourism, charities, and emerging artists through the festival.

The organizers also stated that they believe festivals like Towersey are important for creating better communities and societies.

Giving the admirers of the Towersey festival some hope, the note mentioned:

"Our thoughts go out to the other 35+ festivals who have already cancelled this year along with our hopes that we can collectively find a way to come back stronger one day."

According to BBC, Dennis Manners' family, who are running the festival, stated that economic challenges owing to the COVID-19 pandemic formed one of the reasons for shutting down the festival.

---

"This was a very novel idea in 1965" — Towersey Festival's organizer on the 60-year old festival's inception and more

The Towersey Festival is an independent event founded in 1965 and is five years older than the popular Glastonbury Festival. In an interview with Festival Insights in April 2024, the director of the festival, Joe Heap, mentioned that his grandfather started the festival with some of his friends as they needed to raise money to replace toilets in their village.

The festival began in Denis Manners's garden and was a gathering of local people, friends, and musicians back then. Talking about the inception of the Towersey festival, Joe Heap stated:

"You’ve got to bear in mind that this is a long time before festivals were even a thing. There was no Glastonbury, there was no Reading, this was a very novel idea in 1965."

From the village of Towersey, the festival moved to the Thame Showground in 2015. However, it shifted from Thame Showground to Claydon Estate in 2022 as the showground didn't sign a long-term agreement with Towersey.

Joe Heap also mentioned that it took a lot of effort for them to make the Thame Showground appear beautiful, something that was effortless with the backdrop that Claydon Estate offered.

Talking about introducing spoken word and comedy to the festival, Joe mentioned that the two acts have always been a part of Towersey in hindsight. On expanding the festival beyond music, Joe stated:

"We want the festival to not just be a music festival; to be multi arts, to have that diversity in it."

What made Towersey stand out as a festival in 60 years since its inception is that it is a festival for all ages featuring music, workshops, and dance events.

---

The final Towersey festival this year has an impressive lineup, comprising of female trio The Staves, Seth Lakeman, Scottish folk rockers Tide Lines, Pokey LaFarge, and Billy Brag.

Additionally, 2024's Towersey will feature a total of 500 musicians taking to the stage to entertain audiences over a span of four days.