The Mill Hill Family Festival is cancelled for 2025 due to insufficient funding. It will return in 2026.
The committee needs £10,000 for next year’s event. The free festival restarted in 2023, after fourteen years. The 2023 and 2024 festivals were in Mill Hill Park.
Hundreds enjoyed music, bouncy castles, and rock climbing. Cllr. Damian Talbot shared the news on Facebook. He chairs the Mill Hill Events Committee and also serves as Blackburn’s public health boss. He hopes the festival will continue to succeed.
Raising money is a major factor, along with proper event organization. In 2023, they raised £6,000, while the event cost £3,250 to put on. In 2024, spending increased on staging, sound, lighting, toilets, and performers.
They raised about £3,000 but spent £6,100. Now, the festival account only has roughly £200. Volunteers run the festival and it doesn’t receive core funding.
They must raise all the money themselves. Increasing costs mean they now need £10,000. This ensures all event costs get covered. Raising large sums takes time.
Holding the festival every other year helps. It guarantees the event takes place and allows it to be successful for the community. The committee understands some will be sad. They hope people support their fundraising efforts.
The committee seeks generous donors with £10,000. Planners are meeting to begin organizing fundraising soon. Many community members offered supportive comments and ideas.
People are behind the event’s future success. One person suggested smaller fundraising events. Donation buckets in pubs also seemed like a good idea, specifically in Witton and Bulls Head.