FAQ about event cancellation
A succession of recent developments have meant that some events in BPP had to be cancelled and others not. As a result, we’ve received a frequently asked question which is answered below.
“Why did you cancel the Hospitality event and not Naked City Festival and Black Coffee?”
Events of this scale have a 12-month lead time and many hours of work from the organisers, their partners and council officers in that period. The events also generate many jobs, especially closer to the event date.
The Hospitality event was due to take place on 17 and 18 September. On 2 September RMT announced industrial actions for 15 and 17 September, which would severely impact the events and local area on the 17th. After careful consideration of all factors, including possible mitigating measures, Lewisham Council took the view that considering the timescale and alternatives, the safe ingress and egress of thousands of people could not be guaranteed and so revoked permission for the event to go ahead. Public safety will always be our number one priority. RMT’s strike was later suspended on 9th September by which time it would not be possible to reinstate the event.
Sadly, on 8 September afternoon, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s death was announced. Like many institutions around the country, Lewisham Council has protocols for such instances. Council's own events due to take place during the period of national mourning were cancelled. This extends to Borough of Culture events.
Naked City Festival and Black Coffee events, due to take part on 10 and 11 September, were not Lewisham own events. The decision to cancel the events in this instance would lie with the organisers.
Government guidance states that there is no obligation to cancel events or close businesses during the mourning period.
Unfortunately, the time between the announcement of the Queen’s passing and of the festival dates would not allow for cancellation of an event of this scale without significant loss for all involved, including loss of jobs and out of pocket expenses for festival goers who would have planned for the event, including travel and, in many cases, accommodation. Indeed, a cancellation within 24 to 48 hours of events of this scale, with expected visitors from across the country could have caused significant disruption to the locality.
It was thus, after thoughtfully having considered all options available, that the decision was made by the event organiser not to cancel Naked City Festival.