Guide27 October 2026

What Happens if Your Event Is Cancelled or Rained Off

Nobody enjoys this conversation, so here is how it works in plain terms before you need it.

Why notice periods exist

When you book, a supplier commits resources: crew held for the date, kit reserved, other work turned down. The closer to the event, the harder those commitments are to unwind.

A freelancer who turned down another job for your date has lost that income. Kit reserved for you was not offered elsewhere. That is what a cancellation charge covers. It is not a penalty.

How the scales work

Our production terms use a sliding scale based on notice given. More than sixty days, the charge is limited. Between sixty and thirty days, it increases. Inside thirty days, it increases again, because at that point the crew are committed and the work cannot be replaced.

Video production work uses a shorter scale, thirty and fourteen days, because the commitments are made later.

The exact figures are in our terms, which are incorporated into every quote.

Postponement is different to cancellation

If you move the date rather than cancelling, and the new date works for the same crew, most of the problem goes away. Suppliers would much rather move a job than lose it.

Tell us as early as you can and bring a proposed new date. A postponement handled with notice usually costs very little.

Weather specifically

For an outdoor event, the decision to cancel is rarely ours. The organiser or the safety officer makes it, often on the day.

Two things worth agreeing in advance: who makes the call and by what time, and what happens if the crew has already travelled and rigged. Once the vehicle has arrived and the rig is up, the cost has largely been incurred whether or not the show happens.

What a deposit covers

It secures the date and covers the initial commitment. On most production bookings it is not refundable inside the notice period, for the reasons above.

The practical advice

If you have any doubt about a date, say so at booking. Provisional holds are a normal thing to ask for and cost nothing.