Numbers fall at music festivals

Cornbury Festival 2009 ticket sales were down 20%

The organisers of two of Oxfordshire's biggest festivals say their events have been hit by the recession this year.

Attendance figures at Henley Festival were down between 10 and 15% on last year, according to the artistic director Stuart Collins.

Hugh Phillimore, organiser of Cornbury Festival, says their numbers were down approximately 20% on 2008.

Both blame a combination of the economic downturn and last year's bad weather, which deterred people.

Mr Phillimore said: ''Our takings were down about 20 per cent, but we had already made 20 per cent savings so we ended where we thought we would.''

Mr Collins said: ''Our board of management are certainly behind us and want to keep it going just as it has been.''

In June the Festival for Heroes fund-raising concert, which was due take place at Blenheim Palace, was cancelled because not enough tickets were sold. Organisers blamed the recession and competition from other festivals.