UK’s Wheels And Fins Festival Enters Liquidation, No Refunds Offered  

UK based music and action sports festival Wheels And Fins has gone into liquidation. Poor ticket sales made the event unviable, according to a statement released by the promoters.

Wheels And Fins 2019 was scheduled to take place on Joss Bay in Kent, England, Sept. 7-8, headlined by Friendly Fires and Slaves, but got cancelled a week ahead of time.

Due to the forced liquidation, organizers say they won’t be able to refund ticket buyers, emphasizing that this was the worst part of the whole process. 

Creditors will receive notice of the liquidation from a firm handling the matter.

The festival’s organizers weren’t available for interviews.

According to Kent Online, the annual festival was started by Dave Melmoth and his brother seven years ago, initially as a free event, but became paid-for two years ago.

The full statement, released Sept. 30, below: 

“Thank you for your patience over the past weeks. During this time, we have worked tirelessly, meeting with new investors and legal representatives to try and salvage Wheels and Fins, but it is with an unbelievable amount of sadness that we must inform you that the festival will be going into liquidation shortly.  Creditors will receive notice of this from Quantuma LLP in due course, but should you require any information in the meantime they can be contacted on 01273 322400 or alternatively you can email [email protected].

 

We have tried everything to avoid this outcome but have been unable to find a solution – to say we are devastated is an understatement. We have poured our hearts, souls and personal finances into the event as well as leaning heavily on private Investors and friends. The pressure of trying to deliver an independent festival which Kent could be proud of has been immense. However, there is no avoiding the reality of our situation – poor ticket sales mean that Wheels and Fins is no longer financially viable nor attractive to an investor.

With the festival forced into liquidation we are truly sorry to say we are unable to refund any tickets. This is the worst part for us. Being unable to refund our audience, the people who have stuck by us and supported the festival, is a very painful experience for us, both as people and event organisers.

We understand that this news will leave many of you angry and upset and we can only offer our genuine apologies. If there was any other way around this situation, we would have found it, but with ticket sales at the lowest they’ve ever been, it is simply impossible to salvage.

We’d like to send a huge, heartfelt thank you to our audience, partners and suppliers and everyone who has supported Wheels and Fins Festival over the years.”