While a 5% discount has little material impact on the price of an individual ticket, the combined total amounts to tens of thousands of pounds in lost revenue for the festival, which in turn affects our ability to support our educational charitable aims.

As a charity, ensuring the long-term sustainability and quality of the events we deliver to the community is of paramount importance. We have therefore had to make some difficult decisions, including reviewing discounts that were previously offered. This change enables us to reinvest more directly in the Festival itself and to support its future development and wider community impact.

The concierge service is time-consuming for our small team. We have therefore decided to restrict this service in order to free up capacity for the many essential tasks involved in delivering the festival successfully.

We encourage all supporters to book tickets via the festival website. The concierge service will continue to be available to Gold and Platinum Club Patrons.

The restriction only applies during the priority booking period. Once tickets are available to all, there will be no restriction on numbers. Our ambition is to sell out as many events as possible, and it has been clear from 2025 that supporters recognise the need to apply quickly for tickets to avoid disappointment. It is also important for us to ensure there are sufficient tickets on sale to the general public, so that we continue to grow the reach and popularity of the festivals.

Ticket caps only apply to Membership level supporters during priority booking periods. There is nothing to stop Membership level supporters from buying multiple tickets once they are on public sale. There is little evidence that membership level supporters buy large quantities of tickets during the priority booking period. Ticket caps are common amongst other similar festivals.

There are no restrictions for our major supporters.

As a supporter, your name - should you wish - will continue to be in the online version of the brochure, on the supporters’ pages on the website and in the Annual Review which we will launch in 2026. This will allow us to keep these dynamic lists up to date. The printed brochure has an early print deadline which often results in supporters being omitted (and disappointed) because their donation has arrived after the deadline.

As artist fees and event production costs have steadily increased over the past few years, a Bronze-level donation now covers proportionately less of the cost of delivering an event. We believe it is therefore fairer to reserve this right for supporters whose donations more closely match the costs of individual events.

This change also reflects evolving patterns of engagement, with fewer Bronze Patron supporters choosing to support individual artists in recent years.

Bronze Patrons remain an essential part of the festival community and provide a strong foundation for our fundraising efforts. The generosity and commitment shown at this level continue to make a meaningful and lasting difference, and we are deeply grateful for that support.

The atmosphere of the Festival is fundamental to its local popularity and maintaining the special Petworth feel will continue to play a huge part in future success. Audiences and artists alike continue to praise the Festival for its friendly and informal atmosphere.

We are a charity, and we exist in a world where competition for people’s time and financial support continues to increase.

As the costs of running the Festival continue to rise, maintaining financial sustainability is essential to safeguarding the festival we have all come to know and love. Careful management of our resources allows us to continue presenting high-quality events, supporting artists, and delivering meaningful cultural experiences for our community, both now and into the future.