The future of the Sidmouth Festival was discussed by many delegates at the Association of Festival Organisers Conference held in Telford on 13/14 November.

The overwhelming majority agreed that no event worthy of the name 'Sidmouth Festival' was likely to happen in 2005 and any events that did take place would be more likely to harm than help efforts to get a proper Sidmouth Festival reinstated in 2006.

Those with knowledge and experience of the Sidmouth situation suggested that the local council and traders needed to experience the effects of a year with no Festival if they were to be persuaded to properly support a proper Festival again in the future.

There was a very strong view that practical issues relating to insurance/health & safety/council licensing requirements do not appear to have been properly considered at an early enough stage by those claiming that they are organising events in 2005.

The many agents present at the Conference indicated that they were unlikely to accept bookings for their artists from Sidmouth next year as they did not have sufficient confidence that the promised concerts would actually take place.

The general conclusion was that it was best to concentrate efforts on reinstating a proper Sidmouth Festival in 2006 and forget about organising a poor substitute in 2005.