Suppliers and traders who worked at a festival in Wales are angry that it is planned to go ahead again while they say they are still owed large sums, six months after this year's event.
Many creditors say they are owed tens of thousands of pounds each by the promoter which ran this year's In It Together festival in Margam but is now in liquidation, Newport-based Climax Productions.
Festival taken on by new promoter
The festival, along with the Together Again festival in Cheshire, has been taken on by a Brighton-based promoter called Festivals Group UK, which said in a statement that it intended to "preserve the existing festivals" and provide them with a "stable and sustainable platform".
Festivals Group did not answer questions from WalesOnline on whether it had bought In It Together from Climax Productions or whether it was running it on behalf of or with the former promoters.
Ali Campbell, Olly Murs and The Kooks are due to headline next year's event at Old Park Farm, Port Talbot, between May 28 and May 30 next year. Chart-topper Jamie Miller will appear for a homecoming having become the first Welsh artist in 15 years to reach Number 1 in the Official UK Singles Chart with his hit single Babydoll.
However, the promoter who launched the festival in 2022 and ran it until this summer, Climax Promotions and Events Limited, is going through corporate insolvency and creditors fear they will get nothing back.
Creditors claim £4m owed
Documents seen by WalesOnline show that the creditors, made up of businesses, traders, and suppliers, claim they are owed a total of £4,086,392.52 relating to the festival and other events run by Climax.
Insolvency firm Libertas is handling the liquidation and said it was undertaking an investigation to determine if there were any assets it could recover for creditors.
A number of food traders who had stalls at the festival, which was held on the late May bank holiday weekend, have told WalesOnline that their takings at the festival went directly to Climax. They said they were instructed to use card readers given to them by the festival, instead of directly taking money from the sales.
While this has become increasingly common practice at festivals, traders would normally expect to receive their earnings within days of the end of the festival. In this case, they were told they would be paid within 28 days.
However, traders say they were never fully reimbursed what they were told they would be. They said it has left them struggling to pay staff, cover their expenses, and left some relying on the financial help of family.
Traders describe impact
Due to the seasonal nature of their work, festival suppliers and traders rely on the money they make during the summer months to sustain them throughout the rest of the year.
One food trader who attended the 2026 festival received roughly 50% of what they said they should've been paid, leaving them over £4,000 short. They explained: "It's quite common that these days at festivals they insist you use their card machines and it's card only, no cash. They have a third supplier who supply the card machine, the customers pay, and they are meant to send your takings within 28 days of the festival."
They added: "It's had quite a big impact, it's a lot of money for a small business. They were our takings so we still have to pay our costs. We paid for all the food that we fed people which we now haven't been paid for. All our travel costs, staff costs, everything involved in getting there and working at the show."
Another food trader said they had received two payments of £1,200 since the festival but had lost out on roughly £26,000 when you added up the stock they'd paid for, wages, power, and their original deposit. They said they had traded at the festival in 2025 and were paid in full, meaning they returned this year expecting that to happen again.
They explained: "They took our deposit, we paid for the power, for staff, stock and we are now in debt. We could've gone bankrupt if it wasn't for help from family. We should've got paid and it's a lot of money when you add it all up."
One company who supplied infrastructure to the festival said they had worked at the festival for the past two years. In 2025 they were paid in full, but after working for the 2026 edition of the festival they were left without their final payment which was worth over £20,000.
The owner said they had been told the promoters were looking for investment which never came. "I'm one of loads of people who I don't think are ever going to get paid from it," they said. "It's a lot of money. They were late on all the payments. We had to have our VAT put onto a payment plan. We couldn't pay our VAT on time and that went onto a payment plan. We paid interest on that which we didn't charge them."
The infrastructure supplier said they would not be returning to the festival again despite it being run by Festivals Group UK.
Company statement and liquidation details
Traders who worked with Climax Productions at other events also say they are owed substantial sums. ITV News Wales reported in February that venues in Caerphilly, Abergele, and Holyhead weren't paid thousands of pounds after Climax Promotions and Events Limited – which also goes by the name Escape Records – put on Halloween and Christmas events at the venues.
Some unpaid amounts were settled out of court after Abergele's Gwyrch Castle battled with the company for an unpaid bill of £2,500.
A spokesperson from Climax Promotions and Events Limited said the company had experienced significant financial pressure due to investment not materialising and events not doing as well as expected. Their full statement read: "There are a number of contributing factors behind the decision made by Climax Promotions and Events Ltd to enter liquidation following a period of significant financial pressure. These include certain events not performing as strongly as anticipated, wider cashflow pressures and committed investment not materialising."
Liquidators Libertas Associates said: "Climax Promotions & Events Limited was placed into Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation on 4 November 2026 and I was appointed Liquidator. I understand that there are a number of concerns from creditors surrounding the trading of the Company and the conduct of its Directors. As Liquidator, I am required by legislation to undertake an initial investigation in all cases to determine whether there are any potential recovery actions for the benefit of creditors."
The new promoter of In It Together, Festivals Group UK, said: "The popular In It Together and Together Again music festivals are going ahead as planned in 2027, the new owners of the event have confirmed. From 2027, In It Together and Together Again will move forward under new ownership with Festivals Group UK. Festivals Group UK is an established UK promoter with more than 20 years of industry experience and a track record of delivering multiple events and festivals across the country."
Festivals Group UK added that all existing 2027 customer tickets will be honoured and both festivals are planned to go ahead as scheduled, with line-ups already announced including headliners such as UB40, Aitch, Olly Murs, Kaiser Chiefs and Jamie Miller.
