The beloved West Country Music Festival, which has brought joy to music lovers for the past three years, will not be returning in 2025. Festival organiser Sarah Yeo announced the decision with a heavy heart, citing the immense effort required to organise the event and her desire to focus on her solo singer-songwriter career.
“Where do I start,” Yeo began in her heartfelt announcement. “I am the bearer of bad news to some of you who were looking forward to another year at Muddifords. After three great years, I took the very hard decision to leave my festival organising behind me for the foreseeable future.”
Yeo reflected on the relentless year-round tasks of organising the festival, which took a toll on her personal music career. “As you all know, it was a year-round thing and there was always something to sort, promote or organise. My solo singer-songwriter career was getting seriously neglected along the way,” she said.
The organiser also noted that finding a new venue might have been necessary, as Muddifords played a significant role in the festival’s success. Despite the challenges, Yeo remains proud of the achievements and the memories created.
“Perhaps if it wasn’t such a slog to sell tickets, we just sold out in the last few days in 24 despite having brilliant acts and headliners. Perhaps if we made a profit, I wouldn’t be ending it,” Yeo explained. “I was absolutely gutted once I’d made the decision, I cried for several days, but now it is a bit of a relief! I don’t know how I ever had time!”
She fondly recalled the fun, learning experiences, and the considerable work involved in organising the festival. “It was a big ambition and it was so much fun a lot of the time, I learnt loads, but blimin ek it was a huge amount of work. I could have done it half-heartedly and not put the finer touches in, site dressing, booking trade stands etc, they took the most time.. but that’s not me. If I do something I put my all into it.”
Kezia Gill, who headlined the festival in 2022, expressed her support on social media:
“So sorry to hear this but completely understandable. Being an artist is a full-time job so how you got the time to run a festival too is beyond me!! Thank you for letting me headline back in 2022. It was a wonderful weekend xx”
Kezia Gill
Yeo expressed her gratitude to the festival family, including the core team members, the Muddifords crew, photographers, and the extended team who made the event possible. She also thanked the loyal supporters who attended the festival in all kinds of weather.
“To all the festival family, especially the A team, Dave, Helen, Tom, Chris, Simon, Geoff, Victoria, Donna.. and Claire, Trevor and Kieren at Muddifords.. Fantastic photography by Jill, Jim Clive, Cassandra and John and all the extended team on the day, (too many to name and I’m bound to miss someone) I couldn’t have done it without you ALL!” she said.
Yeo encouraged fans to continue supporting live music, particularly in the country genre, which was the festival’s primary focus. “Keep supporting live music, especially in this genre.. that is the whole reason I did it.. to give acts a platform in Devon.. and we definitely did that and a whole lot more!”
While the festival may be ending, Yeo hinted at future music-related projects, albeit on a smaller scale. “Onwards and upwards.. I love organising things (it’s my bossy nature) so it won’t be long before I am doing something music related again! Perhaps smaller scale next time,” she concluded with optimism and a heart full of gratitude.
Highlights of the 2024 Festival
The final West Country Music Festival in 2024 was a memorable event, attracting fans from across the country to celebrate a spectacular lineup of country music acts. The festival was graced by headliners WARD THOMAS, who delivered unforgettable performances, leaving the audience with cherished memories. Other performers included Thomas Kavanagh, who commented on hearing the news “Sorry to hear this, but thank you for your honesty. You’ve done a fantastic job with this festival. Made a lot of amazing memories and new friends along the way. All the best for the future. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon, thank you for letting me be apart of this! Much love”. Another musician who played in 2024, Guy Surtees, said “You created one amazing festival Sarah. It was literally my favourite of last year. I know it couldn’t have been as good as it was without all your hard work and dedication”.
The 2024 festival embodied the spirit and passion of the country music community, making it a fitting finale to the West Country Music Festival’s three-year run.
Stay tuned to CountryMusic.co.uk for more updates and potential future projects from Sarah Yeo. Let’s keep the spirit of country music alive and thriving. We list all the UK Country Music festivals, updated throughout the year. Music fans based in the South West may be interested in Rock N Ribs which is based in Wincanton.