Dark side of the moon
GATE-CRASHING RAVERS CAUSE MAYHEM AT YOGA AND PAINTING SOLSTICE FESTIVAL - AND KEEP NEIGHBOURS AWAKE ALL NIGHT
ORGANISERS of a summer solstice festival say their event was hijacked by ravers who brought SEVEN speakers and kept Chorlton residents up all night.
A group of artists and musicians put on the free event to celebrate the new moon in the Chorlton Ees nature reserve.
But organisers say their Saturday night party at the Manchester council-run park was taken over by an univited group who brought a ‘wall of speakers’ and pumped out loud music all night.
Residents who live around the park complained about the noise to authorities and on social media.
One woman, who was woken by the noise, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that people would be so disrespectful to have such loud music throughout the night. I understand it’s the weekend and people want to enjoy themselves, but it’s been continuous for around 12 hours now.”
Those behind the event, Sol and Selene Tea Party say they had been planning it for weeks and it was set to last two days, and included guitars, painting and yoga sessions but had to be cut short due to the noise. Shkiesha Asantewa, 28, said it had ‘ruined’ their event,
She said: “We put on what was supposed to be a beneficial event – poetry, music, yoga. We had been there for a while when these people turned up around 3am with all of these speakers and set up right next to us. We had brought marquees, food, artwork so offered them a marquee to move further away so they could enjoy their music and we could enjoy ours. But they just stayed.
“They actually turned their speakers so they faced our tents.
“It completely ruined the event. We have spent a month putting this together. We don’t want to be associated with that group.”
Another member of the group who organised the event said: “They turned up with this massive wall of speakers and we tried to reason with them, but they just carried on.
“We are pirates but they are filthy pirates.”
A man from the group with the speakers, who did not wish to be named, said: “It’s a public place and normally when people put on a free party, it’s ok for anyone to attend.
“The more the merrier, but those people had a different idea.”
When asked about the loud music, he added: “All residents I have met said we should do it more often. They were really complimentary.”