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Creamfields Flooded Out
Tens of thousands of disappointed fans were forced to leave Creamfields a day early after the popular dance music festival was cut short due to torrential rain.
The 10th anniversary edition of the electronic music festival Aug. 24-26 had attracted a 55,000-capacity crowd, but the site at Daresbury in Cheshire was flooded and the organisers felt it wasn’t safe to continue.
“Following heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours, significant and heavy flooding is affecting the Creamfields arena near Warrington,” said a note on the festival website. “No serious casualties have been reported and Cheshire police and partner agencies are supporting event organisers in ensuring the safety and welfare of festival goers during this time.
“All customers wishing to come to the festival today are advised that the event entrances are now closed. No entry to the festival is permitted from this point for all ticket types and ticket-holders, further updates will follow,” the note continued.
The festival’s website now leads to a blank page containing a statement saying, “After a very difficult weekend we ask you all to please be patient a little longer, a refund announcement will be available shortly along with a detailed explanation on why Creamfields was abandoned.”
Cheshire police said the site endured “significant and heavy flooding” that was also affecting nearby roads, according to BBC News. Extra public transport was arranged to help the crowd leave the site.
By Sunday morning, organisers had warned people via Twitter and Facebook that the site was closed and people with day tickets should not travel.
BBC News carried quotes from festivalgoers, some saying the rain was no big deal.
“It’s nothing out of the ordinary for a festival,” said Alexandra Olczak, one of a group of friends at Creamfields to celebrate a birthday.
“I’m in the hospitality tent so I paid a bit more for a more luxury campsite, but I visited my friends in the standard area and it’s really not that bad,” she said.
However, Matthew Hawes, from Brighouse, West Yorkshire, said the site was covered in puddles.
“On Friday night it started to rain and everywhere got really muddy,” he said. “Luckily the rain stopped and Saturday was pretty sunny. But then last night it battered it down with rain. We got no sleep and there were puddles everywhere.
“The tents were ruined so we had to leave them there rather than digging them out of the mud. Everyone was leaving stuff there.”
In May Creamfields founder James Barton and majority shareholder Ingenious Media Active Capital sold the company behind the festival to Live Nation for $22.4 million.
Other acts on the truncated Creamfields bill included