Beachdown Festival - A victim of "Climate"
So…Beachdown. If you haven’t heard already, Brighton’s fledgling festival was cancelled by its organisers late last night. Reasons cited include slower than forecast ticket sales, lack of support from their bank and suppliers and, of course, what will surely go down in the history books as the most over-used phrase of 2009, the current economic climate.
How it has come as a surprise to anyone at Beachdown that banks are unsupportive is anyone’s guess, but on this one point they have my sympathy. As one person with a kinder heart than me said of the organisers: they’re just people like us but with bigger plans – and we all surely know what it’s like to be screwed over by our banks when you least need it.
I am, however, struggling to understand the ‘slower than forecast ticket sales’. Firstly, I can’t be the only one who has been reading their many press releases telling us how quickly tickets are selling, warnings not to leave it too late. Just how many tickets did they think they were going to sell in the week before the festival?!
In my mind there are two types of festival: there are the ones you go to for the lineup, and the ones you go to for the atmosphere. With their trademark ‘eclectic’ programming style, beachdown most definitely falls into the latter camp (I’m not sure who was going for Ocean Colour Scene?) Beachdown’s strength was its local connections – a Brighton festival for Brighton people. Sadly, this year’s fiasco has demonstrated that typical Brighton attitude of “it’ll be alright on the night” in preference to paying attention to the numbers – which is what it all boils down to at the end of the day.
You may have noticed my use of the past tense above – call me pessimistic but this seems like an early end for beachdown. Unless the organisers pull something astounding out the bag, there will be a lot of goodwill lost amongst those of us who have made plans, taken time off work, and already decanted our vodka into plastic bottles, not to mention the hundreds of local businesses who will have invested in equipment and supplies, which will now be wasted. That’s going to be pretty hard to recover from.
A good start would be some progress on the matter of refunds: As yet there is pretty scant information available. If anyone can shed some light on the legality of this situation – i.e. what ticket holders are entitled to, please share below.
Leave a message on their Facebook wall: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11332043313
The following statement is taken from the Beachdown festival website.
Dear All
It is with immense personal regret that the Directors of Beachdown Festival have been advised that they must announce that due to slower than forecast ticket-sales and lack of support at a critical time from our bank and certain suppliers that despite being so so close to being able to deliver Beachdown Festival we are unable to do so. Very simply we were unable to meet the demands that the current economic climate put against us and at the eleventh hour despite having most of the infrastructure in place we have been forced to cancel the event.
We wish to say at this time how desperately sorry we are to all those who have bought tickets or were participating in the event and to say that we all here are personally shattered expecially after eleven months of battling against the recession to try and put this event on and coming so close. We also wish to advise everyone that we explored every possible avenue to finance the event including re-mortgaging our houses to combat the unwillingness of banks to support us.
We will do everything in our power to give the best information that we can via the web-site and via email but we ask that people understand that we will also be inundated with enquiries but we will endeavour to communicate to everyone as best we can.
We ask all ticket-holders to get information from the outlet that you purchased the ticket from in the first instance and once again we will do everything we can to get as much infrmation as we can to everyone as quickly as we can.
Directors
Beachdown Festival
on Aug 26th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
The Beachdown website stated “last few tickets available” just before the cancelation message was posted. It now seems viable that the organisers had intended on using money made from ticket sales to pay off some of last year’s debt. And although we cannot confirm this and we do not have access to their books the festival appears to have crumbled under the pressure.
on Aug 26th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
So far high street retailers are saying that all cash has gone to Beachdown so we need to approach Beachdown for the refund. My retailer who I wont name said call the number on the back of the ticket. Unfortunately I just checked my ticket and there isnt a number on there :( Having paid cash I feel somewhat worried I wont see a refund.
on Aug 26th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
The only contact details we can find for Beachdown are as follows:
Future Festival LTD
Suite 55
Tower Point
44 North Road
Brighton
BN1 1YR
01273 666363
on Aug 27th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Kliks are now hosting the ‘Beachdown rescue’ party with MIA and Alex Smoke at Life (on Brighton seafront) from approx 3am on Saturday night / Sunday morning. Free to Beachdown ticket holders!!