Shindig Festival, which has Bob Vylan headlining this year, is to have its licence reviewed over “disorder and public safety” concerns.
The event is scheduled to take place at Charlton Park in Wiltshire from May 21 to 24, but its licence to operate on the premises will be reconsidered just three days before it starts after concerns were brought to the attention of organisers, after the duo’s controversial set at Glastonbury 2025.
A spokesperson for the festival has said they were working closely with Bob Vylan, who are set to top the bill on Sunday alongside fellow headliners Fat Dog and War, as well as the relevant authorities, to ensure that there was “a robust plan in place to address these concerns”.
The festival’s licence was granted by Wiltshire Council last year, but councillor Paul Sample has said that the review has been requested by an unknown party “on the grounds of the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety”.
Bob Vylan made headlines for their performance on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury 2025, when frontman Bobby Vylan led the audience in chants of “death, death to the IDF”. That performance was later subject to a criminal investigation from Avon and Somerset Police that was ultimately dropped in December.
“We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS for any person to be prosecuted,” the force said in a statement. “No further action will be taken on the basis there is insufficient evidential for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.”
As part of their enquiries into the chants, police said they conducted “a voluntary police interview under caution” with a man in his mid-30s in November. Officers said they also spoke to “approximately 200” members of the public to see if they had been the victim of a criminal offence.
In a response, Bobby Vylan said the investigation was “never warranted” as the Glastonbury set was “evidently not hateful” but rather “a display of solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
At the time that Shindig announced Bob Vylan as one of this year’s headliners, they described them as “one of the most vital, fearless and electrifying live acts in the UK right now”, who “use music as a force for conversation and change”.
A festival spokesperson said: “Safety has always come first at Shindig and under no circumstance would we allow that to change. We are working closely with our production team, the artist and the authorities to ensure we have a robust plan in place to address these concerns.”
Shortly after Glastonbury, Bob Vylan said they were not calling for “the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group” at Glastonbury. Bobby Vylan also explained in October that he was “not regretful” of his remarks at the festival, adding: “I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays. I’m not regretful of it at all.”
After the Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan had multiple international shows cancelled, and their US visas were revoked ahead of a tour in the country. Two UK gigs, in Manchester and Leeds, were also been postponed, “due to political pressure” from MPs and Jewish leaders.
