A hugely popular music festival has been cancelled a day before it was due to take place at Alexandra Palace due to the threat of strong winds.
Organisers of Kaleidscope Festival said on Friday they are “devastated” to scrap the event, which was due to draw thousands of music fans on Saturday, amid a yellow warning of wind issued by the Met Office.
Forecasters predict wind speeds could exceed 40mph in London on Saturday.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, organisers said “we have no choice but to cancel Kaleidoscope Festival” due to “significant safety risks” posed.
“Our huge apologies go to all our ticket holders,” they added. “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, including local authorities, health and safety advisors, structural engineers and the emergency services.
“Ultimately, people’s safety has to be the priority.
“To be unable to go ahead is heartbreaking. Our thanks go to everyone who supports Kaleidoscope, from fans and artists, to production teams and our local community. To all who will miss out, thank you for your understanding.”
A relatively new festival, over the last four years Kaleidoscope Festival has built a reputation for being one of London’s best one-day events.
With a capacity of 11,000 people, and with dozens of major acts, “London’s highest festival” sold out in 2022.
Headliners Hot Chip tweeted: “We’re gutted to announce that tomorrow’s Kaleidoscope festival will no longer be taking place. We were so looking forward to playing this one! We hope to see you all soon x”.
We're gutted to announce that tomorrow's Kaleidoscope festival will no longer be taking place. We were so looking forward to playing this one!
— Hot Chip (@Hot_Chip) July 14, 2023
We hope to see you all soon x https://t.co/JjRn2yZDGc
The dance act led a lineup due to perform at Saturday’s event that included George Fitzgerald, Gaz Coombes, Elvana, Girls of the Internet, Antony Szmierek and Erol Alkan and Joe Lycett .
In its warning the Met Office states: “An unseasonably windy day is likely on Saturday.”
As part of its general warning it said: “Some damage to trees or temporary structures such as marquees, tents and inflatables, could occur.”
