Plans for this year’s Paisley Alive festival have been cancelled after organisers said ticket sales did not reach the level needed to deliver the event.
The event, billed as Scotland’s first music and fitness festival, had been in development for two years and aimed to bring a new large-scale community event to Paisley. However, organisers said a combination of lower-than-expected ticket sales and rising costs meant it could not go ahead as planned.
In a statement, organiser Scott McFarlane confirmed the decision had been made following “a lot of thought and careful consideration”.
He said: “After a lot of thought and careful consideration, I’ve made the decision to cancel Paisley Alive this year.
“Despite strong early support and conversations with many of you across Renfrewshire, ticket sales haven’t reached the level required for us to deliver the event to the standard intended. Alongside this, rising infrastructure and production costs have made it impossible to move forward in a way that meets that standard.”
McFarlane said the festival had been in development for the past two years and was intended to be a positive new event for the town.
He added: “A significant amount of work has gone into developing Paisley Alive over the past two years, built on a genuine belief in what it could become. The intention was always to create something positive for the town – something new, and something the community could be proud of.
“Being a local guy born in Paisley, I know many of you were looking forward to it, and I’m sorry to disappoint. To everyone who supported the idea and bought tickets early, thank you.”
Anyone who purchased tickets will receive an automatic refund. Organisers said confirmation emails will be sent once refunds are processed, with funds expected to return to accounts within three to five working days.
McFarlane added he was “incredibly proud” of the work that had gone into the project and thanked the community for its support.