Organisers say “sun has set” on Citadel Festival

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The Citadel Festival, which saw the likes of Rag’n’Bone Man, Friendly Fires and Catfish and the Bottlemen perform, has closed after five years.

Organisers of the annual event posted a statement on Twitter announcing the closure while thanking fans, speakers and artists for the ongoing support.

It read: “After five incredible years of Citadel, the time has come for the sun to set on the ultimate summer Sunday. We want to say a massive thank you to every single one of you who has ever attended the festival, and to every artist, performer, speaker and volunteer who we have worked with to create some truly unforgettable moments. See you in another universe. The Citadel team.”

They faced criticism over the summer for their lack of female artists. Lead singer of Dream Wife, Rakel Mjoll, who played at the gig took to social media to express her frustrations that the majority of acts and figures backstage were men.

She put: “Walking into the backstage area when we arrived and literally not seeing one womxn in site (spotted a few later) and then looking up to see who’s playing… think I counted 5 music acts that had a womxn artist in them out of 25 acts.

“This baffles me. Everybody loses. Representation is important. It’s 2019. It’s just weird.”

The Citadel Festival was hosted at Gunnersbury Park and, as well as live music performances from artists from all over the world, it incorporated comedy, theatre and debates.

It began in 2015 at Victoria Park, London, when the promoters of Wilderness and Lovebox teamed up with Timeout to create a new one-day festival.

Molly Hookings
Author: Molly Hookings

Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com