Ally Pally’s Kaleidoscope axed due to high winds
High winds led to the last-minute cancellation of Alexandra Palace’s Kaleidoscope Festival.
The one-day event debuted in 2018, becoming the first ever festival to be held in the grounds of the North London venue.
The fourth annual event was due to to take place last Saturday (15 July), headlined by Hot Chip, having expanded its capacity from 10,000 to 11,000, but was called off at short notice following discussions with partners.
“We are devastated to announce that due to the Met Office’s Yellow Warning and the significant safety risks the forecasted high winds pose on Saturday 15 July, we have no choice but to cancel Kaleidoscope Festival,” says a statement from organisers.
“Our huge apologies go to all our ticket holders, we can assure you that we have explored every alternative option before making this extremely difficult decision. We are contacting ticket holders directly with details regarding refunds and other ticketing options.
“We made this decision based on a site-specific weather forecast provided by the Met Office and following consultation with partners”
“We made this decision based on a site-specific weather forecast provided by the Met Office and following consultation with partners, including the local authority, health and safety advisors, structural engineers and the emergency services. Ultimately, people’s safety has to be the priority.”
Other artists due to perform included Gaz Coombes, George Fitzgerald, Elvana, Girls of the Internet and Anthony Szmierek.
“To be unable to go ahead is heartbreaking,” adds the statement. “Our thanks go to everyone who supports Kaleidoscope, from fans and artists, to production teams and our local community.”
Hozier and Ben Howard will both play outdoor headline shows at Alexandra Palace Park this weekend as part of the venue’s Summer Series, with James Blake, Norman Jay MBE, The Prodigy and The Streets set for indoor concerts later this year.
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Over 100k fans enjoy huge UK festival weekend
Hundreds of thousands of music fans flocked to open-air venues across the UK last weekend for the country’s first big festival weekend since the summer of 2019.
Festival Republic’s Latitude and Superstruct-backed Tramlines, both 40,000-capacity, Broadwick Live’s Standon Calling (15,000-cap.) and Alexandra Palace’s Kaleidoscope (10,000-cap.) were among the events to take advantage of Covid-status certification – ie requiring proof of vaccine or a negative Covid-19 test from attendees – to do away with social distancing and create the first ‘normal’ festival experiences of the coronavirus era.
While the two biggest events were held as government-backed pilots as part of the Events Research Programme (ERP), all four festivals implemented some form of pre-event screening for Covid-19 status: Latitude, Tramlines and Kaleidoscope used the NHS (National Health Service) Covid Pass app to check festivalgoers were either fully vaccinated or had returned a negative test, while Standon Calling went a step further, requiring a negative test even if attendees had received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Latitude took place from 22 to 25 July at Henham Park in Suffolk with performers including Bastille, Wolf Alice, the Chemical Brothers and Bombay Bicycle Club.
Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn told local media that the stringent entry requirements meant the Latitude site was “close to being the safest place in England” last weekend, with even performers not able to bypass the checks (two acts, Fontaines DC and Alfie Templeman, were forced to cancel after testing positive and were replaced by Sleaford Mods and Sports Team, respectively).
Staff were “breaking down in tears” over being able to work again
The first festival most of those in attendance had been to since 2019, the same applied to many of the event’s staff; Benn told the BBC he knew of technicians and support staff who had been “breaking down in tears” that they were able to work again after 16 months of minimal event activity.
In addition to the music and comedy programme – other performers included Rudimental, Damon Albarn, Supergrass, Hot Chip, Kaiser Chiefs, Bill Bailey and king of the internet Rick Astley – Latitude also featured a ‘vaccine bus’, staffed by NHS workers, where over-18s could get either their first or second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine on a walk-in basis.
In Hertfordshire, popular boutique event Standon Calling made a welcome return from 22 to 25 July, planning four days of family friendly fun headlined by Bastille, Hot Chip, Primal Scream and Craig David’s TS5.
Though it, too, successfully navigated Covid-19 to go ahead as planned, the festival came to an abrupt end yesterday after organisers were forced to pull the plug due to the flash flooding which had left much of southern England underwater.
Unfortunately due to flooding we will no longer be able to proceed with the festival.
If you can safely leave the site this evening please do so as soon as possible. We are working on getting everyone off site as safely and quickly as possible.
— Standon Calling (@StandonCalling) July 25, 2021
Among the artists booked to play on Sunday were Primal Scream, Craig David, De La Soul and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
“Hearing the first band ring out over the festival was an emotional moment”
Also taking part in the ERP was Tramlines, which welcomed 40,000 people a day to Hillsborough Park in Sheffield from 23 to 25 July.
Featuring performances from the Streets, Dizzee Rascal, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Little Simz, the Sherlocks and more, the sold-out event grew both its capacity and festival site for 2021, adding 10,000 people, a new cabaret stage, The Open Arms, and a new arena for its second, T’Other stage to become the biggest Tramlines yet.
“After 18 months of strangeness, it was unbelievable to be back in the park again,” says the festival’s operations director, Timm Cleasby. “There have been so many hurdles we’ve had to jump to get here and, honestly, it’s been quite a rollercoaster. It’s been great to see so many happy smiling faces, from crew getting back to the thing they love to revellers having the time of their lives watching the bands they love. Hearing the first band ring out over the festival was an emotional moment.
“I’d really like to thank everyone for playing their part with the NHS Covid Pass system. It ran very smoothly, and by being part of the Events Research Programme together we’re helping to pave the way for festivals and live events to get back to normal. I’m full of gratitude for everyone: our amazing crew and suppliers, the support from the DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport], Public Health Sheffield, Sheffield Council and, of course, our fans. Thank you all for helping us do this – we love you all and we can’t wait to see you all next year.”
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Debut Kaleidoscope festival takes place in Ally Pally grounds
Against the backdrop of London’s skyline, the first ever festival in the grounds of Alexandra Palace took place this weekend (21 July). Kaleidoscope festival saw music, poetry, comedy, art and theatre descend on the grade II listed building and surrounding park slopes and woodland.
The festival isn’t the first to take advantage of a historical spot to attract festivalgoers. Hampton Court Palace Festival, now in its 26th year, celebrated its 2018 edition with a record breaking crowd, and Kenwood House’s Heritage Concert Series saw success this year with its first shows since 2013.
On the main stage of Kaleidoscope’s inaugural year festivalgoers were treated to performances from The Flaming Lips, Mystery Jets and Beth Orton. Elsewhere, comedy performances were delivered by Katherine Ryan, Mark Watson and Dr. John Cooper Clarke.
“It’s been amazing to see so many people of all ages enjoying such a diverse mix of music, theatre, comedy and performing arts”
Guests also had the opportunity to explore the rarely-opened Victorian basements within the palace itself. Inside, an immersive theatre experience paid tribute to Alexandra Palace’s role in the creation of television.
Aimed at festivalgoers of all ages, organisers hoped the first edition of the festival would leave people ready for Kaleidoscope instalments for years to come. Speaking about the success of this year’s event, Simon Fell, founder of the Kaleidoscope, says: “It’s been amazing to see so many people of all ages enjoying such a diverse mix of music, theatre, comedy and performing arts this weekend. And what better place to do so than in one of the most beautiful locations in London.
“Something magical took place on Saturday and we can’t wait to welcome people back next year.”
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