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Rainbow Venues drops appeal against licence revocation

The company, now known as the Rainbow Events, is to focus on promoting shows until there are changes in the "difficult and intimidating climate of licensing" in the UK

By Jon Chapple on 21 Mar 2018

Adam Beyer plays Chapter Festival XIII at the Rainbow Warehouse in April 2017

Adam Beyer plays Chapter Festival XIII at the Rainbow Warehouse in April 2017


The Rainbow Events, formerly operator of the shuttered Rainbow complex in Birmingham, has dropped its appeal against the revocation of its operating licence, saying it has taken the decision to focus on event promotion “until major concerns around current regional licensing processes are addressed”.

The company, formerly known as the Rainbow Venues, lost its licence following the drugs-related death of a 19-year-old last October. The Rainbow Venues complex has since been taken over by MJR Group, which is to rebrand the 12,000sqft outdoor site as Digbeth Arena.

In January it launched a campaign to raise funds for its legal battle with Birmingham city council and West Midlands police. The £24,076 raised by the Educate Not Revocate campaign will be refunded to donors within 30 days of today (21 March).

“We will no longer invest in the city we have previously called home”

“We are resolute in our commitment to calling for a more progressive approach to licensing through the Educate Not Revocate campaign, as announced in January 2018, and extend a huge thank you to the fans, artists and industry professionals who have pledged their support to our cause so far,” the Rainbow Events founder Lee McDonald says. “[But] until the difficult and intimidating climate of licensing in Birmingham and across the UK changes, and the financial and emotional impact that it directly causes on venue owners and licensees is alleviated, we will no longer invest in the city we have previously called home.

“We look forward to taking time out to re-energise, and continue discussions with global brands and potential major partners, before unveiling further plans for the future.”

 


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