UK Tech-Fest 2023: 10th edition to be the final event of its kind
Photo Credit: LBPHOTO
UK Tech-Fest has announced that its 10th edition, which will take place at the Newark Showground on 29th June - 3rd July 2023, will be the last of its kind.
Over the past decade the UK Tech-Fest experience has become known as one of the most fun and inclusive events in the UK calendar, and a place to see some of the most innovative current acts, and tomorrow's game changers. A hugely tough decision by the organisers, challenges in the event industry, plus some that are deeply personal, have made this right time to close this chapter of UK Tech-Fest. Please read the statement below for details.
UK Tech-Fest 2023 will be fans last chance to experience the 4-day camping festival, so it's a must for any passionate festival goer's calendar this summer.
Statement from the organisers:
"We’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and we have decided that this year will be the last ever Tech-Fest of its kind.
"Tech-Fest was born in 2011 with the original plan of a one-day event. You, the fans, had belief in the concept and that has been the driving force since day one. We set out to create a place where bands and fans could unite, where we could bring this community together, chill and listen to our favourite music in one place, and that’s what we’ve done.
"This is our tenth festival, TEN whole years (I mean technically 12 years, thanks covid for messing that up). It’s been over a decade of Tech-Fest, 100s of bands, all our amazing volunteers (who we couldn't do this without), and most of all you, the Tech-Fam .
"Bands have always been at the heart of the festival. We’ve proudly hosted the first UK shows for many international bands including Skyharbor, Drewsif Stalin, Plini, Agent Fresco, Slice The Cake, Project Mishram, Destiny Potato, Artificial Language, Siamese, Anima Tempo and many others. We have also supported many UK bands to play their first shows at Tech-Fest, including Hacktivist in 2012, Loathe in 2016, Sleep Token as our secret act in 2018 and Vexed in 2019.
"We’ve kept our prices low to keep it affordable for you, to give you that festival camping experience that’s not going to cost you the earth. No one enjoys an overcrowded campsite and miles to walk through mud to the nearest toilet. At Newark it’s flat with never any mud, even when we got all that rain. If you know, you KNOW.
"These last few years have been hard ones. With the current state of the country, economy and the knock-on effect this has on the music industry, it is no longer sensible to continue running Tech-Fest in its current form. On top of that we have suffered a lot of personal loss which has taken its toll. Two dear friends of Tech-Fest were sadly taken way too soon - Ben Radcliffe who has been at Tech-Fest since day one, and Karl Riley, who used to play drums in Carcer City. Then earlier this year my (Simon's) father, Steve, passed away. Steve had been at the heart of Tech-Fest and believed in us and this idea from the start. In order to grieve properly and adjust to my life as it is now, I wish to take a hiatus from organising an annual event. I need space to deal with my family affairs and to recover, rest and regroup. I hope you all understand.
"It's been a hell of a journey, and a steep learning curve, so we decided that this year – our tenth anniversary – will be the last Tech-Fest of its kind.
"Let us make this clear... This is not the end of Tech-Fest! However we are taking this opportunity as a new beginning. The main event will return in a different form down the line. We will still have a Techabilitation 2023 to look forward to and we're currently looking to do other club shows around the country too.
"If you have been always meaning to come to Tech-Fest, then this is the year to do it!
"Join us to celebrate this last decade, the bands and the Tech-Fam for one last awesome time."
"With love - Simon, Helen and Amanda x"
Legendary technical death metallers Suffocation will headline the Friday, with deathcore heavyweights Chelsea Grin headlining the Saturday, and modern technical metal pioneers Born Of Osiris closing the festival on the Sunday. They are joined by 18: Aborted (UK exclusive), Loathe, Of Virtue, The Five Hundred, Cage Fight, Despite Exile, The Cartographer, Pulse., Azure., InRetrospect, Shell Beach, Chaos.Sequence, Karmanjakah, Netherhall, Draconian Reign, Akkadian, Lost To Light, Swarm6ix, Oceans Ate Alaska, Kublai Khan TX, Hacktivist, Heriot, Paledusk, Graphic Nature, She Must Burn, Anima Tempo, Sworn Amongst, In Fear, Atlantis Chronicles, Armed For Apocalypse, Arcaeon, Forlorn, Starved, Dreameater, Glass Grave, To Obey A Tyrant, Cave Killer, Glower, From Her Ashes plus more to be announced.
Tickets are priced at £79.99 + £20 camping, and can be purchased here: http://uktechfest.gigantic.com/
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3150546951853429
2023 sponsors and partners:
Pins & Knuckles Merchandise - https://www.pinsandknucklesmerch.com
Strandberg - https://strandbergguitars.com
Aristides - https://aristidesinstruments.com
Hold Tight - https://holdtight.co
Loki Films - https://www.facebook.com/LokiFilms
JWA Creations - https://www.facebook.com/JWACreations2016
D'Addario / Evans / Promark - https://www.daddario.com/
Moomin Merchandise - https://www.moomin-merchandise.com/
Lux CBD - https://thisisluxcbd.com
Capsaarx - https://capsaarx.com
UK Tech-Fest online:
https://uktechfest.com/
https://www.facebook.com/uktechfest
About UK Tech-Fest:
Following the huge success of the first UK Tech-Fest selling out in 2012, the festival went outdoors in 2013 hosting headliners Scar Symmetry, Veil Of Maya and TesseracT. 2014 saw UK Tech-Fest move to the prestigious Newark Showground hosting Sikth's second show after their reunion, and the following year UK Tech-Fest 2015 hosted an exclusive UK appearance from Decapitated. UK Tech-Fest 2016 - The Fifth Anniversary - was a milestone in this festival's career, by far their biggest and best edition to date hosting Animals As Leaders and exclusive appearances from Between The Buried And Me and Protest The Hero. UK Tech-Fest 2017 had its heaviest line-up to date, 2018 had its largest ever attendance and in 2019 solidified its reputation as the UK's most forward-thinking metal festival. 2022 saw the festival's triumphant return after the COVID19 pandemic, headlined by Scar Symmetry, The Ocean and God is an Astronaut, confirming UK Tech-Fest as one of the most important events in the UK calendar.
