AFTER a record-breaking 2017 event, Stroud Fringe Festival is to take a break in 2018.

The organisers of the popular Stroud Fringe festival have announced the event will not take place in 2018, to allow them to plan a “Fringe for the Future”.

Like other events – including Glastonbury festival – the Stroud Fringe will have a ‘fallow’ year to give organisers time to respond to soaring attendance figures and plan for 2019 and the long-term success of the festival.

A record-breaking 25,000 people attended the Stroud Fringe last year, making the event a major success story for the Stroud District and its businesses.

However, as visitor numbers have soared, so has the cost of running the event. The huge cost of crowd safety has pushed the overall cost of the fringe to around £100,000.

The event is run by a not-for-profit organisation that relies on support from local councils, businesses and individuals.

Volunteer organisers Lotte Lyster, Julie Howe and Chris Mattos will now look at ways the festival can expand to meet its growing popularity.

“We’re thrilled the Fringe has proved so popular,” said Julie.

“We want to build on that success and make sure the festival is a fixture on Stroud’s summer calendar for many years to come.”

They acknowledge that the scale of the festival presents new challenges. But having extra time set aside this year will allow for planning to secure its long-term sustainability.

The organisers also say finding funding has become “increasingly difficult”, and that one of their major commercial sponsors has decided not to support the festival in 2018.

“Taking this year as a planning year will give us the space and time to look at the long-term funding of the festival,” said Chris.

“We’re looking at securing funding to employ a professional fundraiser and ultimately a festival director.”

Organisers will also have time to assess the town’s crowd management and public safety needs for a larger event.

The decision to take a break follows discussions between organisers and Stroud District Council and Police Licencing, which has agreed a period of planning and evaluation will be a positive step for the future of the festival.

“A survey will be out soon to get feedback and ideas from the public,” said Lotte.

“We’re already working on some exciting plans for Stroud Fringe 2019 and we can’t wait to see everybody then."