Doune the Rabbit Hole music festival cancelled after union boycott

The Doune the Rabbit Hole festival has been cancelled after the Bectu trade union called for a boycott.

Festival organisers said they would not be issuing refunds to tickets holders for the event near Stirling on July 21.

The union, representing the creative industries, called on performers, contractors and fans to boycott the event over a payment row.

The festival owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to performers and crews who were on site last year.

Organisers said they did everything to try to hold the event while "making good on promises to pay creditors".

However unions say in some cases bands are still owed tens of thousands of pounds from the festival "with no hope of getting their final payments".

A statement posted on the Doune the Rabbit Hole website claimed a "campaign of misinformation" from Bectu created a fall in ticket sales and forced them to cancel.

It said: "We've looked at all options to keep the event on the table, as we know how much it means to all the people and families who have bought tickets, but we just aren't able to produce the event in the current environment."

The event was held at the Cardross Estate near Stirling last July after being cancelled the previous two years because of Covid.

It went into liquidation in December and is now being managed by the Festival Food Beverage and Property Services company.

Director Craig Murray said the debt from last year's festival was about £800,000.

Organisers also faced a backlash earlier this year after asking volunteers to pay a deposit to work at the event.

Doune the Rabbit Hole said it had already paid out "almost every single penny of the event's income" and would not be issuing refunds for tickets.

It added: "We are so sorry to be putting you in this position. In terms of refunds, we must urge you to contact your bank/credit card provider, explain the situation to them and they should, in most cases, be able to help recover your money."

The Bectu union represents contractors, including stage crews and technicians, who work behind the scenes at musical festivals.

Bectu negotiations officer for Scotland, Paul McManus, previously said the union made the decision to call for a boycott following discussions with the event organisers.

In a joint statement, Bectu, the Musicians' Union and Equity, said it was unfortunate the festival had been cancelled but it was "incredibly disappointing" that unions had been blamed.

It said: "As trade unions we have tried to have a constructive dialogue with the organisers of the festival, but the undertakings which were offered to us were not forthcoming.

"We are concerned that the festival was able to enter liquidation last year and be reborn so quickly with so many of the same faces involved, and that concern has been borne out with so many of the same issues this year.

"We would urge any members affected by the cancellation to make contact with their trade union and will provide all the support we can."