THE 10th edition of a popular festival held near Ilminster will be the last one to take place at Dillington Estate.
This year’s Shindig Festival in May will be the last one to be held at Dillington Estate as “the landowner’s future plans involve more farming than festivals”.
Dillington Estate said they are looking to use the land for farming “and this is not entirely compatible with the festival”.
The festival's organisers, however, announced they "have some exciting plans for 2025 and beyond".
A spokesperson for Shindig Festival said: “May is your last chance to dance with us at Dillington as the estate will be returned to the cows after this year's event. The landowner’s future plans involve more farming than festivals.
“This year marks 10 years of dancing in fields together. What an amazing achievement.
“If you haven't been before or always wondered what the hype is about, now is the time to get your tickets.
“We have some exciting plans for 2025 and beyond. Let’s leave Dillington Estate with a bang and dance till the cows come home (literally).”
A message from Dillington Estate said: “We are looking to use the land for farming, and this is not entirely compatible with the festival.
“We are farming the land and as our operations continue to grow, we need the land for our farming, and we are planning to use the land outside Dillington House.”
In September 2022 Somerset County Council (SCC) "took the difficult decision" to activate a break clause in the lease and cease its activities at Dillington House from September 30, 2023.
After this decision, in April last year, a message from Dillington Estate said: “The main house and surrounding buildings will be handed back to the landlords, who own the surrounding Dillington Estate.”
The information on the website, however, also said that Shindig Festival “is arranged through the Dillington Estate and not affected by SCC ceasing its activities at Dillington”.
The festival regularly took place between the 25-28 May 2023.
Now, a spokesperson for Somerset Council said the authority “no longer has any role in the Dillington Estate”.
After the 2023 festival, the Shindig organisers said they will “create something even more magical” to mark the event’s 10th anniversary in 2024.
Simon Clarke, festival director, said: “For our 10th anniversary we are going to try something new.
“We are going to bring back that intimate vibe we all loved so much – friends, and friends of friends.
“We are going to reimagine Shindig with our 10 years of knowledge and experience, to create something even more magical.”
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