A FESTIVAL due to take place this month has been cancelled, after organisers said they could not proceed “without certainty” that all event costs would be met.

The Parklands Music Festival was due to take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend at Duncombe Park in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

But those behind the event, where the Proclaimers and Badly Drawn Boy were among those due to headline, have said advance ticket sales have not met with projections.

The music event was due to be a scaled-down version of the annual Galtres Festival, which last year left stall-holders and traders £120,000 out of pocket after the company which ran it was placed into administration.

A cashless payment system had been operating at the 2014 festival, with concert-goers putting funds on a card which was used to buy food, drinks and goods on site, with no money being handed over.

Traders were due to receive 80 per cent of their takings from the organising company after the event. But the company was unable to make the payments.

After Galtres Festival Trading Ltd was placed in administration, the festival’s owners, Galtres Festival Charitable Foundation, set up a new company to operate what was to be the Parklands Festival.

This year’s event was due to allow vendors to take cash and those still owed money were offered the chance to attend for free and retain 100 per cent of their earnings.

Some small businesses last year lost thousands of pounds for four days of trading at the festival.

A statement sent to ticket-holders and placed on the Parklands Festival website, stated: “Advance ticket sales have not met projections and we cannot proceed without certainty that all event costs will be met.

“We put together a tremendous programme of music and performing arts, at a fraction of the cost of previous years, and fully expected this year’s event to more than break even.

“We were determined to put things straight financially, and countless people have toiled tirelessly to plan and promote the event. We did everything we could, yet that wasn’t enough. We are so very sorry.”

The statement said they would be contacting those who had purchased advance tickets directly about claiming their refund.

The three-day event was due to open on Friday, August 28, featuring music and cabaret stages, children’s activities, comedy, films and theatre.