Yahoo Movies Houghton Festival cancelled due to 'extreme' weather forecast
Houghton Festival in Norfolk has been cancelled at the last minute due to extreme weather forecasts.
Festival organisers said they had no choice but to call off the music event, which was due to start today, for safety reasons.
They said in a statement: “Over night, weather conditions on-site at Houghton Festival have dramatically worsened and are set to deteriorate further into the weekend.
”Tragically, following this morning’s reports and further consultation with authorities, health and safety and all the festival directors, the decision has been made to cancel Houghton 2019.
”We are utterly devastated. All the hard work, love and creativity that has gone into planning and producing this year’s event made this an almost impossible decision to make.
”This was set to be a wonderful weekend and the boldest step we have ever taken as a festival. However, nothing is more important than the safety of our customers, staff and performers, which would be compromised if we were to go ahead.”
Although it will turn #wet ☂️ and #windy from tonight, today is looking dry and bright 🌤️ for many, with just scattered showers in the north pic.twitter.com/aocmLU5wCq
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 8, 2019
The festival takes place within the grounds of Houghton Hall near King’s Lynn, Norfolk. It has a 24-hour music license and tickets cost £191.
Yesterday Boardmasters festival in Cornwall was cancelled due to forecasts of extreme weather.
The decision followed two severe weather warnings from the Met Office which warned of torrential rain and high winds.
While performances at the event – which included slots from stars such as Wu-Tang Clan, Florence + The Machine and Foals – were not due to begin until Friday, doors were set to open to visitors on Wednesday.
In a statement posted on Twitter at 11pm on Tuesday, the festival said: “We sincerely regret the disappointment to fans, and apologise for any disruption caused to local businesses”.
“The safety of you, the fans and attendees, as well as performers and crew comes first.”
