Issued 14 August 2026 (22:20hrs).
Updated 17 August 2026.
This evening a Severe Alert was issued by the UK Government (see below) because of the wildfires in recent weeks. As a result, Cllr Simon Morgan, Leader of Maldon District Council has told the organisers of the Smoke & Fire Festival that it must cancel this weekend’s festival at Promenade Park, Maldon (Essex) on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August 2026.
Ashley Bird, founder and organiser of Smoke & Fire Events confirms: “We are in unprecedented times. We have extremely stringent health and safety procedures in place at all our Smoke & Fire Events and in our 10 years of running the festival we have never had any fire incidents or problems. But the UK government has issued this warning and the Council has therefore asked us to cancel the event. We are naturally very disappointed that we must take this action, however we must adhere to the Council’s decision and respond responsibly to the UK Government’s alert.
For those that have already bought tickets, these will be valid for next year. We fully understand that ticket holders will have questions about their tickets and potential refunds. We are currently working urgently with Maldon District Council and our professional advisers to establish the position following the Council’s last-minute decision to cancel the event. As soon as we have the necessary information, we will issue a further update explaining the options available to ticket holders, including the arrangements for refunds and transferring tickets to next year’s festival. We kindly ask everyone to remain patient and avoid contacting us individually at this stage, as our small team is dealing with an unprecedented situation.
Please be assured that all ticket details are secure and that we will provide clear instructions through our website, email and official social-media channels as soon as we are able to do so.
We are extremely grateful for your patience, understanding and continued support.
Severe Alert Warning from the UK Government in Full:
There is a very high risk of wildfires nationally. Residents, landowners and visitors should not undertake any activity that could start a fire, including disposable barbecues, firepits, garden incinerators or fireworks.
Even a small flame can rapidly develop into a major wildfire placing lives, homes, businesses and emergency responders at risk.
Follow official updates and report signs of fire immediately by calling 999. Search gov.uk/alerts for more information.
