​Meadows In The Mountains calls off 2025 festival amid bankruptcy, apologises for unpaid refunds

The team behind Bulgaria’s Meadows In The Mountains Festival have announced the cancellation of this year’s event, citing financial struggles as they “prepare to file for bankruptcy”.

The news was shared by the festival team on Friday, April 25, via social media. They explained that the scheduled event, which was set to go ahead from August 14 to 18, will no longer take place.

“It’s mortifying to announce the end of an era, to be the messenger while feeling like a coroner,” they said. “This is the hardest letter we’ve ever had to write in over 10 years.”

In a longer statement posted on the festival’s website, the team cited ongoing financial pressures from previous editions as the reason for its cancellation, claiming to have "accrued over €400,000" in debt.

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“In the last two years, we’ve faced challenges that are now proving to be insurmountable, following a series of unfortunate events that have been pushing us backwards with every new step we’ve tried to take.”

Last year, Meadows In The Mountains also pulled the plug on its scheduled 2024 event, citing that it had not been granted a licence from local authorities.

A year prior in 2023, the festival faced “serious personal allegations that led to the departure of some key members of our production team” ahead of its planned event, they claimed in the latest statement, but continued to go ahead as planned.

As a result, the festival was unable to pay more than €150,000 in crew and service labour, which now forms “part of the bankruptcy proceedings”. The debt is still unpaid to this day.

The festival has now accumulated hundreds of thousands of euros in debt. “We do not see a viable way forward, and the time has come to pause – and let go,” they explained.

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The news of its cancellation sparked outrage amongst ticketholders, who flocked to the comment section on Instagram to ask when they will be refunded for the festival’s cancelled 2024 edition.

The festival team promised that the funds of those who purchased tickets for this year’s event “are safe” and will be refunded automatically. Those who purchased tickets for 2024’s event will not be repaid unless the festival can “generate income through new ventures”.

“We understand how disappointing this is, and we’re deeply sorry,” they said. “We truly hope to find a way to honour your support – and we’ll be transparent about any developments on this front.”

Meadows In The Mountains first began in 2011 in Smolyan, a village in Bulgaria’s Rhodope mountains, close to the capital of Sofia. Artists including Dr Banana, Donna Leake, Quest, KOKOROKO, and more have passed through the festival over the years.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter