Sheffield’s No Bounds cancels 2023 festival, announces scaled-down rave weekender

Sheffield’s No Bounds Festival will not take place this year.

The festival plans to return in 2024, but will not go ahead this year after what organiser Liam O’Shea has described as an “extremely challenging” 12 months for No Bounds. He added that the cost of living crisis, increased production costs and barriers to funding were contributing factors to the decision to not go ahead with the event this year.

In a statement shared on Instagram, O’Shea wrote: “We’ve come to the very difficult decision that in order for No Bounds to survive as a festival, to stay true to our artistic vision and to continue to be able to support our wonderful No Bounds community, we must wait until 2024 before we deliver the next full edition. We know many of you will be sad to hear this news, and for those who already bought 2023 festival early birds we’re especially sorry.

“The last year has been extremely challenging for many of us, with barriers to funding and a cost of living crisis adding to ever increasing production costs. These reasons and more have led us to the decision of postponing the next full iteration of No Bounds Festival to October 2024.”

2022 saw No Bounds win in the Best Boutique Festival category at DJ Mag’s Best Of British Awards. “Despite this success, we feel that taking our time to make sure No Bounds 2024 is the right successor to 2022 is the only way we can ensure that we deliver the festival in the way that we want to,” said O’Shea.

Instead of the full-scale festival, No Bounds will put on a slightly smaller weekender at Hope Works, the main festival venue, on 13th and 14th October. Bruce and Manami are both set to play, while there will be b2b sets from Bluetoof and Stenny, and 96 Back and Lupini, as well as a Nyege Nyege Tapes label showcase featuring De Schuurman and Judgitzu, among others.

Tickets for that event are available here.

Revisit DJ Mag’s feature on the 2022 edition of No Bounds here.