A new family festival complete with tribute acts and a circus that was due to take place in East Lancashire in August has been cancelled.

Festiva, which has been billed as a "brand new ultimate family festival experience", was supposed to arrive in Great Harwood on Saturday, August 13, and Sunday 14.

However, organisers of the festival have cancelled this year's event, postponing the show until August 2023.

Due to take place at Great Harwood Showground, the spectacular two-day event would have boasted top music tribute acts and artists, an action-packed entertainment programme for kids including a circus and fairground rides, inflatables, and a first-class food, beer and cocktails arena serving food and drink from around the world.

Tickets for the event have been on sale since April, but Festiva organisers say that anyone who has purchased entry to the festival will be refunded in full by ticket providers, Skiddle.

A spokesperson for Festiva said: "Many months of planning have gone into the festival by a huge team of people across the Festiva team, its partners, suppliers, and the local Hyndburn council.

"With certain elements outside our control one of those is an acceptable entry and access to the Showground.

"We have been unable to secure a satisfactory entrance and exit that is suitable and therefore causes issues with gaining the relevant permissions required to hold the event in a safe and considered manner to the surrounding area.

"Given the short amount of time prior to August 13, 2022, it leaves us no time to apply for any other possible solutions.

"We do believe given time there are options to be secured via planning and other landowners but given the date of the festival it will now not be viable for this year.

"Unfortunately, this means we are going to have to pull the event for August 2022, and we will be rolling it over to 2023.

"All customers who have purchased are being refunded in full, and no monies are being retained by Festiva or Skiddle.

"We would like to pay particular thanks to Hyndburn Council who have been exceptional in moving this forward, the issues are not related to anything in their control.

"We will maintain and build upon this year’s line-up, with a view to creating something even more spectacular than what was planned for 2022."

The impressive festival site set over 22 acres was due to feature dozens of inflatables of all sizes for kids and teens to enjoy, from the ultimate assault course, enormous slides, bungee run, ultimate wipeout and trampolines to an inflatable helter-skelter.

There was also supposed to be a Silcock fairground, packed with rides including the Star Flyer at more than 200ft tall, the Freak Out, to family favorites such as the dodgems, waltzers, and twister amongst smaller rides for the not so adventurous.

A freestyle motocross show and an extreme mountain bike show were booked to cater for the thrill seekers, and the Festiva Circus Big Top was to be filled with performers, including escape artists, sword swallowers, acrobats, jugglers, bubbleologists and more.

Internationally acclaimed ABBA tribute show, Björn Again were due to headline Saturday’s music program, and are still expected to play at next year's event.