Festival tent 'like a scene from Final Destination'

A seafront music festival which went ahead for the first time despite severe weather has been described as unsafe and like "a scene from a Final Destination movie" by revellers.

Summer Fest at the Beach was held in Weston-super-Mare over the weekend with performances from a range of musicians.

There were also disputes about refunds and the line-up. Rock band The Feeling were due to perform but had to withdraw, with the event website not updated to reflect the change.

A spokesperson for the festival said: "Every decision taken throughout the weekend was made with public safety at the forefront and in response to the [weather] conditions being experienced on site at the time."

They added they had listened carefully to all feedback received and would use that to help shape the future of the festival.

Dozens of festival goers took to social media on Saturday and claimed they were refused entry, manhandled by security staff or held on site against their will.

The festival organisers denied claims that a guard assaulted a ticket holder and said "no formal complaints" were made about the security team.

Emma Cox from Oxfordshire bought a VIP ticket and arrived at the festival at about 15:00 BST on Saturday.

The 33-year-old said she immediately noticed problems inside the VIP tent and claimed that members of the public were holding metal poles down to steady the structure amid strong winds.

"We just did not feel safe in there at all," she told the BBC.

"It felt inside that [VIP] tent like it was the scene from the Final Destination movie."

Cox said the tent was declared unsafe by security about 30 minutes later, and hundreds of people were moved into an outdoor area.

"[Staff] then shut all the facilities, so we couldn't use the toilet, we couldn't use the bar… then when we tried to leave to go and get a drink or anything, we were told that we could not leave the area as it was unsafe.

"It was like being imprisoned into a tiny pen," she added.

Organisers said some facilities in the VIP area were "temporarily closed as a precautionary safety measure" because of the severe weather conditions.

"While we appreciate these measures may have caused frustration for some attendees, they were implemented solely to protect attendees, artists, staff and contractors while the weather conditions were assessed and monitored."

Lina Praspeliauskiene, who lives in Weston, said she was turned away from the entrance by security at about 15:40 when she arrived.

"People were asking why [are we not moving [in the queue] but security said they [had] been told to hold," she said.

"After probably 10-15 minutes they told us the show is cancelled and no one will be let in," she said.

Praspeliauskiene added that she was told she would be refunded £280 for her two VIP tickets, but when she arrived home, she discovered the festival had not been called off.

"We are very upset. It is a lot of money to lose," she said.

A spokesperson for the event said: "Following discussions with our security provider, we can confirm that security staff were never authorised to close the event gates, tell attendees the event had been cancelled, advise that no further performances would take place, or communicate that refunds would be issued."

They added that they were internally addressing the actions of one individual on the security team who "communicated information they had not been authorised to provide".

Attendees also raised issues with changes in the festival line-up, which featured artists like Craig David, Sister Sledge and Blue.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor was due to perform on Saturday, but did not because of the weather.

Fans of The Feeling were also left disappointed after the band's performance did not go ahead.

In a statement on Facebook, the band apologised and said: "We were never scheduled to attend this event and you should have been made aware of this well in advance by the festival."

Festival organisers said the band had been booked and contracted to perform, but days prior to the event they pulled out of the gig.

A spokesperson for the event said: "During the final preparations for the festival, our focus was on delivering the event and managing a number of operational matters, and regrettably the website was not updated to reflect this change.

"We apologise for any confusion caused."

About 35,000 people attended the event over the weekend, but many left early on Saturday due to the weather.

The festival organisers said they were "incredibly proud" of the event, which had been a "huge undertaking".

"While no event of this scale will ever please everybody, we believe the overwhelming majority of attendees had a fantastic time and the feedback we have received has been incredibly positive.

"Most importantly, we are proud to have brought a major live music event back to Weston-super-Mare and created memories for thousands of people."

They added that they had listened to all feedback and would use it to shape future editions of the festival.

"As with any first-year event, there are always lessons to learn, and we are committed to making improvements wherever we can.

"We remain committed to building on this year's success and making Summer Fest at the Beach even bigger and better year after year," they said.

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