Barclays suspends sponsorship of Live Nation Festivals

Barclays Bank has suspended its sponsorship of all UK Live Nation festivals for 2024, including Download, Latitude, and the Isle of Wight, following protests from bands and fans. The protests were sparked by the bank`s financial services to defense companies supplying Israel. Barclays had signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Live Nation in 2023. The suspension, however, does not apply to the entire contract. A Live Nation spokesperson stated, "Following discussions with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of our festivals." A spokesperson for Barclays said to the Guardian Newspaper: “Barclays was asked and has agreed to suspend participation in the remaining Live Nation festivals in 2024. Barclays customers who hold tickets to these festivals are not affected and their tickets remain valid. The protesters’ agenda is to have Barclays debank defence companies which is a sector we remain committed to as an essential part of keeping this country and our allies safe. “They have resorted to intimidating our staff, repeated vandalism of our branches and online harassment. The only thing that this small group of activists will achieve is to weaken essential support for cultural events enjoyed by millions. It is time that leaders across politics, business, academia and the arts stand united against this.”