UK music festival with Gareth Gates and Peter Andre on line-up cancelled with days to go
Challenge Festival, which was going to be headlined by Gareth Gates, has been cancelled (Picture: Getty Images)
The much-anticipated Challenge Festival, set to feature prominent artists such as Gareth Gates, has been abruptly cancelled owing to serious safety concerns.
The festival, originally slated for Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, was to take place in Myrtle Park, Bradford, but has been scrapped, leaving both organizers and fans deeply disappointed.
The Challenge Festival had initially boasted a lineup that included Mysterious Girl singer Peter Andre, but due to unforeseen circumstances, changes to the roster were made, with Gareth Gates and Ellie Sax stepping in to fill the void.
Despite these adjustments, the event faced insurmountable safety issues that ultimately led to its cancellation.
In an official statement posted on Facebook, event organizer Ian Andrews-Swailes expressed his deep regret over the cancellation: ‘We have had to cancel The Challenge Festival over safety concerns,’ he wrote.
He elaborated on the difficulties faced, citing ‘unrealistic demands such as fencing a woodland area in case of fire amongst many others.’
Peter Andre was going to headline the festival but dropped out for unknown reasons (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns)
Singer Gareth Gates was set to headline the festival (Picture: Getty Images)
Bradford Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) played a crucial role in evaluating the safety plans for the festival.
A spokesperson from SAG clarified their position, stating, ‘SAG has been working with the organiser of Challenge Festival to ensure the event could be held safely.
Assurances were asked of the organiser following the latest draft of plans to ensure contingencies were in place, and it was our understanding that these were being addressed.’
The free festival was set to take place in Bradford (Picture: Challenge Festival)
The spokesperson emphasized that SAG’s primary goal is to ensure the safety of events, not to prevent them from occurring.
‘Public safety must be a priority at any event and different types of events require different levels of safety plans,’ they said. Despite SAG’s efforts to guide the organizer, the decision to cancel was ultimately made by Andrews-Swailes.
Speaking to the Telegraph and Argus newspaper, he conveyed his disappointment, ‘Challenge has taken hundreds of hours to prepare and cost me thousands of my own personal money.
‘I was bankrolling the festival this year. I put so much effort into this effort for Bradford, for nothing. It’s gut-wrenching.’
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