Festival fans left ‘gutted’ after it’s called off
THOUSANDS of people have been left disappointed after the annual Boardmasters music festival was called off due to severe weather being forecast.
Ticket holders for the event in Cornwall were given less than 12 hours’ notice of the cancellation, leaving many out of pocket.
Tyler Mears, 26, and her partner Scott Humphries, 25, were due to travel to the festival from the Rhondda yesterday morning.
The pair booked tickets several months in advance and are awaiting news from organisers about whether they will receive a refund.
Echo reporter Tyler said: “I’ve never been to a festival before, so we decided to book tickets for Boardmasters around four months ago.
“It was either a festival or go away on holiday but the line-up looked good and I’ve never been to Cornwall before so we settled on the festival.
“The tickets costs us around £200 each and we also had to pay an extra £100 to park the campervan.
“That’s without everything else. We’ve bought food, drink, toiletries, clothes, as well as booking a petsitter for our dog and booking the time off work.
“I understand why they’ve cancelled it. I just can’t understand why they waited until 11pm last night. A lot of people might have already been on their way by that point.”
The couple say they will use the time off to take another trip instead – but are eagerly awaiting information about refunds.
Tyler added: “We’ll probably go elsewhere now, but all I’ve packed is festival clothes. I’m sure I’ll get some really funny looks if I turn up wearing sequined dresses and Doc Martens anywhere else.
“I’m just hoping we’ll get our money back.”
About 30 A-level students from Porthcawl Comprehensive School were also set to attend the five-day event.
The group was planning to leave Cardiff at 9am on The Big Green Coach, a bus specifically arranged for Boardmasters transport.
Clare Cox, mother of one of the students, Alys, said: “We were tucked up in bed by 10.30 last night, as we had an early start so found out at 6am this morning.
“[We] tried The Big Green Coach but they’re not replying to email/ Twitter.
“Alys is totally gutted. So much effort went into her first trip without parents.”
A statement on the coach company’s website reads: “Due to these safety concerns at the festival site we will NOT be operating any coach services on Wednesday or Thursday to Boardmasters.
“Please do not go to your departure location. We will make a further statement to customers very soon.”
Organisers of the festival posted the following statement on its website and social media channels: “Due to forecasted severe weather conditions, specifically high winds, Boardmasters 2019 has been cancelled.
“Following full consultation with all of the relevant authorities including independent safety advisors, Devon and Cornwall Police, emergency services and the Met Office, a final decision was made yesterday evening (Tuesday).
“The safety of you, the fans and attendees, as well as performers and crew comes first, and the potential risk is too severe for the event to go ahead at this time.
“Refund advice will be shared as soon as possible – please follow Boardmasters’ social media for official updates.
“We sincerely regret the disappointment to fans, and apologise for any disruption caused to local businesses, performers and crew who were looking forward to Boardmasters as much as we were.”
This year’s cancellation was not the first for the Boardmasters music festival.
Organisers previously called off the final day of the event in 2014 after the remnants of Hurricane Bertha swept across the UK.
Similarly to this weekend, the Met Office had issued a yellow warning for rain and warned of the risk for flooding and gales.