Last year, over 500 people came to Meridian Showground on a summer’s day in Cleethorpes. They came for the music, for the sunshine, for each other. Some came alone and left with new friends. Some brought their kids and danced until the light faded. Everyone there was buzzing about this high-quality and different kinda music event for the area, which was full of laid-back sounds.
Everybody Loves the Sunshine was a reminder that this kind of live music can be accessible to everyone here too, and showed the ambitions for this small but absolutely cool place of ours.
Those who know us know we love doing these events, and this is one of the only locally run music festivals happening this year. We work hard and are committed to the best, and we’re constantly trying to level things up.
Now to the hard part…
We are currently six weeks out from this year’s event and we want to be honest with you about where we are.
Ticket sales aren’t at the level they were at this time last year. Not dramatically, nor catastrophically, but enough that we felt it was important to say something.
Last year we managed to reduce the price to support everyone to be able to come, and we hoped the increasing interest and engagement in this event meant we could find a balance with quality vs feasibility with still affordable prices. Levelling up the festival to be the best yet comes at a price which we cover through a mix of funding and our own funds, which means ticket sales are vital in making this event possible.
But we want to be clear here: We understand, we know sometimes it runs deeper than that –
The cost of living in this country is rearing its head. Money left over after bills, the food shop, childcare, fuel, has shrunk for most households. Grimsby and Cleethorpes feel this deeply; we know that because we live it and we do not take it lightly to ask you to spend money on tickets to our events.
From our research and speaking to our fellow event-organisers, we also know that buying tickets in advance has changed as a behaviour across the country. Post-pandemic, audiences everywhere have shifted toward last-minute decisions. Surveys of gig-goers found that the single biggest reason people do not buy in advance is simply keeping their options open, waiting to see how they feel closer to the time. Promoters and venues across the UK are navigating this shift right now, from grassroots music venues in city centres to small independent festivals like ours.
In terms of our event as a whole and what that has looked like in terms of tickets in previous years, people show up in good numbers, but many of those were bought in the final days of sale and showing up on the day itself. We know this isn’t unusual, so we often hold out for that to happen.
For context: Income from ticket sales allows us to confidently confirm artist fees, security, staging and sound. Without enough advance sales, there’s a risk, no full guarantees.
As said, we believe in access, and we always will. Our programme includes beloved work that is completely free to attend, and we often offer low ticket costs because we know that a ticket price can be a barrier for some people, and we want to make sure that no matter how big things scale, our town is always welcome with open arms no matter the situation.
Everybody Loves the Sunshine is one of the few events in our calendar where we do charge, and we charge as little as we can while still making it viable. At £25 for adults and lower prices (free for under 5s) we have tried to make it as accessible as possible.
Beyond the logistics, we believe that events like this are vital in our area, and culture is a lifeline that gets slowly built by people who make it happen and the people who invest in it – both on a human and financial level – and show up. People in our area deserve the same quality of experience as anywhere else in the country, and there are some brilliant by-products of that build-up, such as tourism, pride of our place, and making a place that we adore to live and visit.
Events like Everybody Loves the Sunshine are part of that argument. Every person who comes, every ticket sold, every photograph shared, every conversation had afterwards is evidence that this part of the world is alive and kicking and worth showing up for.
The truth is, with under 6 weeks to go, if we don’t get enough take-up at this very decent ticket price, we may have to downsize and shift the event somewhere smaller, or at worst it just won’t be viable.
Maybe you’re simply waiting to grab your tickets for various logistical reasons – and that’s fair enough, but if you are planning to come, buying in advance (at any time before a few weeks out) is more impactful and important than ever.
Be one of the 500 (and more) this year that show up, soaking up the sounds and glad that Everybody Loves the Sunshine came to town – and make it a staple event that our region can wear with pride as it grows year on year.
So here’s our asks laid out:
If you know you will buy a ticket but have not yet, consider making that happen as soon as you can.
If you are unsure, undecided, or unavailable to attend this year – support the festival by going over to one of our social media channels and giving an ELTS post a share to your feeds (you can repost, share to feed or share to stories – anything to spread the word).
If you’re going to buy a ticket but haven’t yet, let us know why! Understanding what is getting in the way helps us plan better, communicate better, and build something that works for the people we are here to serve. Drop us a message on socials or email us. We are listening!
This is an important conversation. Thank you for reading, and we hope to see you in August for Everybody Loves the Sunshine
