Alexandra Palace chiefs have pledged to bring back Kaleidoscope Festival "stronger than ever" after the heartbreaking decision to cancel this year.
A Met Office yellow warning of high winds on Saturday (July 15) posed "significant safety risks" to ticketholders at London's highest festival, leading organisers to pull the plug at the eleventh hour.
Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust are now working through details with their insurers - but income from commercial events such as Kaleidoscope help to fund the upkeep of the park and palace.
A spokesperson from the Trust said while they were "devastated" to cancel they had made the decision based on a site specific weather forecast and consultation with the likes of Haringey Council and structural engineers.
"The event has become recognised as among the best one-day festivals anywhere. It is a labour of love for everyone involved, so it was heart-breaking to cancel. Ultimately the decision, which was made in consultation with Met Office, local authority and emergency services, proved the right one, given the wind here on Saturday. People’s safety is always the priority."
The Festival is a family friendly one day event with comedy, children's entertainment and live music. It was due to be headlined by Hot Chip whose lead singer Alexis Taylor lives just five minutes from the Muswell Hill landmark, and told the Ham&High he was looking forward to playing a gig so close to home.
The band posted on Facebook on Friday: "We're gutted to announce that tomorrow's Kaleidoscope festival will no longer be taking place. We were so looking forward to playing this one!"
Ally Pally apologised to ticketholders and said they had explored "every alternative before making this extremely difficult decision". They are contacting fans directly to sort out refunds and other ticketing options.
The latest accounts to March 2022 cited Kaleidoscope as a 'key highlight' of Alexandra Palace's commercial events, concerts, and performances, which generated £12.83m, with profits ploughed back into the charity.
A spokesman said they were pleased to have hosted a "triumphant performance" by Bastille on Friday, and were cheered by numerous messages of understanding and support.
"We still have much anticipated live shows from Hozier and Ben Howard to come this weekend. We are looking forward to them more than ever now. This is all ahead of a really exciting autumn at the Palace. And, of course, we’ll be making sure that Kaleidoscope comes back stronger than ever in 2024."
For queries about the Kaleidoscope Festival cancellation contact visitor.services@alexandrapalace.com
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