In a surprising turn of events, Red List LIVE have made the tough decision to postpone their first festival until 2010.

The official press release;

Red List LIVE forced to postpone inaugural festival until 2010.

Red List LIVE makes decision based upon the “unacceptable risk” of holding event in current economic climate.

Red List LIVE will still programme a series of smaller events this summer before returning as a festival next year as part of a five year project.

Directors of Red List LIVE – a multi-events project conceived as a fundraising initiative for endangered animals – have been forced to postpone plans for an inaugural festival to be held at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent this Summer.

A Primary consideration is the obligation to the charitable aims the festival was set-up to support.  Red List LIVE was due to donate a sum of money from the event to The Aspinall Foundation which is committed to conservation through captive breeding, education and reintroduction.

The decision has been made at an early stage, before final acts were booked, promotion began and site work undertaken, as a pragmatic response to current troubled and uncertain financial conditions.

Specifically, established local festivals are expected to have a greater impact on Red List LIVE than previously envisaged, particularly with nearby Hop Farm’s capacity increase and anticipated expansion to become a camping festival.

With Red List LIVE unable to compete with such bigger, more well-known brands, it will look at holding a series of smaller one-off events and gigs in the South East through 2009 with some of the bands scheduled to play the festival.

Red List LIVE festival director Eddie Hill says: “We are very upset at having to make such a hard call, however we are confident that we have done what is right for the cause.  Foremost in our mind was the greater problems it could have created had we made the decision further down the line.

“You only get one chance at making a good first impression and we’re determined Red list LIVE’s festival will be the best in the South East.
Red List LIVE would like to thank everyone that has supported the festival and the cause, and to apologise that we have had to postpone until next year.
We will be making full refunds to those who have purchased festival tickets, but fully intend for the Red List LIVE brand to continue, and we hope to see everyone shortly at one of our soon-to-be-announced events.”

We sincerely hope to see the Red List LIVE festival in 2010, and look forward to the events scheduled for later this year.  We’ll update you with the details as soon as we hear.

Tags: Eddie Hill, Festival, Hop Farm, Port Lympne, Red List LIVE, The Aspinall Foundation

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