Beer festival where Hacienda DJ set to appear refused licence

Fears that too many people would turn up to a beer festival where Hacienda legend Graeme Park was set to DJ has led to the cancellation of a beer festival.

The ‘Didsbury Craft Beer Festival’ – not be confused with ‘Didsbury Beer Festival’ which has been held annually for 11 years at St Catherine’s Community Centre – has been refused a licence by Manchester City Council. It has also served a ‘counter notice’ to the organisers blocking it from going ahead.

It means the event, which was set to be held at Didsbury Sports Ground on Ford Lane on the late May bank holiday and was also set to feature performances from 90s electronic duo K Klass and ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, will not be held. Organisers had not sold tickets for the festival  but had started marketing it on social media.

‘Trying to stay alive’

Clive Smith, appearing at a licensing meeting on Monday April 8, said they were hoping to raise money from the festival to help meet ‘costs going through the roof’ for Didsbury Toc H rugby club and Didsbury FC, which play at the ground. They will now have to rethink their plans, with Mr Smith telling the meeting the organisation was ‘trying to stay alive’.

“Nothing is set in stone for us,” he said at the licensing meeting. “If that means changing the acts or leaving this festival, that’s what we are happy to do.”

Both GMP and the council licensing officers objected to the festival going ahead.

Traffic chaos

The police thought that there was a risk of traffic chaos at the Ford Lane festival, which organisers said would be prevented by asking people to not use cars to get there. They also objected to the number of toilets available — 25  for 460 ticket holders.

But their biggest fear was over the calibre of the event’s acts. “It is likely to generate a lot of interest from music lovers which will lead to more than 499 [people]at the event which would lead to calls to GMP,” PC Alan Isherwood said.

“Our concern is that through word-of-mouth, people will say ‘have you heard they are playing?’ and they will go down,” he added. “Our concern is how they will be dealt with and kept out.”

‘Three days of noise nuisance’

Licensing officers from the council added they worried about ‘three days of noise nuisance’ for locals with the nearest property only 70m away.

Mr Smith addressed many of the points raised by GMP and the council, including highlighting a self-imposed limit on noise levels and pointing speakers towards the River Mersey to minimise noise issues, staging marshalls on Ford Lane to direct traffic and discourage public urination, and appealing to the ‘40s and 50s demographic’ in an effort to quell anti-social behaviour.

Despite the committee recognising the work Mr Smith does for the community, the application was rejected.

“The committee feel there’s a lack of clarity over what’s been put forward and there’s concern over noise levels, traffic, and public safety,” said council legal adviser Paul Scott. “That’s why the decision to serve a counter notice has been made.”