Partner Article

Major event cancelled following poor sales

AN UPCOMING North East event, which had been given the UN’s stamp of approval for its promotion of sustainable living, has been cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

Reggae band The Wailers were to top the bill The Green Phoenix Festival on 19-22 August at Gibside National Trust Estate.

Last month the event – which promotes sustainability through education and debate – became the first in the UK to be granted permission to use the United Nations University Regional Centre for Expertise badge, which bears the blue laurels of the UN.

However organisers have been forced to cancel the event due to insufficient advance ticket sales, in order to be able to completely refund public tickets and deposits from traders.

Festival director Jim Lepingwell said:“We recognise that purchasers may have been waiting to buy tickets on the gates, but we could not professionally take the risk to allow suppliers and traders to set up and artists to travel to us without guaranteeing them an audience.

“Over the past few months we have taken every step possible to ensure that the festival could go ahead. We are devastated to be cancelling the festival, however we felt it was responsible to do it at this stage so we can completely refund the tickets and deposits.

“Had we started the set up of the festival as planned for Monday, we would have incurred considerable costs. As it is, all the ticket money and deposits are safeguarded and we are able to completely refund ticket-holders and traders. We want to thank everyone who has supported us this year and the team who have worked very hard to put together the amazing event we had planned.”

Organisers hope to find a way to make some of the music and events happen as smaller events and will let people know as soon as these are confirmed. See www.greenphoenixfestival.org.uk for further announcements.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .