WiSH Outdoor will not take place in 2027. The organisation has announced that the festival will be put on hold for the time being due to sharply rising costs, increasingly complex productions and growing risks. The festival also wants to take time to reflect on its future. “Not as a final goodbye, but to give ourselves the space to think about what the future may bring.”
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According to the organisation, the festival industry has changed significantly in recent years. In addition to rising costs, WiSH points to unpredictable weather, stricter regulations and permit procedures, higher insurance costs, and the limited availability of equipment, suppliers and staff.
“As a result, it is becoming increasingly challenging to organise WiSH at the level we envision and that you have come to expect from us,” the organisation writes in its announcement.
Back to the drawing board
According to WiSH, the decision not to organise an edition in 2027 was far from easy. At the same time, the organisation wants to use this break to reflect on the festival’s future direction. “To go back to the drawing board and carefully reconsider WiSH. What we want, what feels right for us, and what WiSH could look like in the future.”
The organisation is therefore leaving the door open for a potential return. However, the announcement does not reveal when or in what form WiSH might return.
Proud of twenty years of WiSH
In its announcement, WiSH thanks everyone who has been part of the festival over the past twenty years, from visitors, volunteers and artists to crew members, partners, sponsors and suppliers. “For the memories, the trust, the energy and everything we have built together.”
Despite the difficult decision, the organisation mainly expresses its pride in everything achieved over the past two decades. “For now, we cherish those memories.”
The announcement concludes with a message to everyone who holds WiSH close to their hearts: “Make every day the best day of your life, until we meet again.”
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Cover photo courtesy of WiSH Outdoor
