From the Fields, the organiser of bluedot, has announced that the festival will not take place in 2024, and is taking a fallow year.

In a statement, the organising team said the festival site needed some time to recuperate after suffering under extreme weather conditions this summer.

The statement read: “Underpinning bluedot’s mission is a sincere love and respect for the earth and environment we are lucky to be part of. However, at bluedot this July, that earth itself took a lot of strain.

“Experiencing the highest level of rainfall on the festival weekend since records began (records courtesy of Jodrell Bank’s own weather station!) we have patiently waited to see what the effects of this have been on the land itself.

“We have now sadly reached the judgement that the ground on which the bluedot universe is built desperately needs some time to recover; a period of rest during which the soil will recover and regenerate. We are, as Carl Sagan put it, in very bad trouble if we don’t understand the planet we’re trying to save.”

The statement continued: “We would like to share a heartfelt thank you to our home of Jodrell Bank, the local community and Cheshire East Council, the artists, speakers and all festival staff for their support since day one, and especially in the most challenging moments of bluedot 2023.

“Our journey is not yet complete – we look forward to moving into the future with you.”

Image: George Harris