MUSIC FEST REFUSED DRINKS LICENCE
District Court Judge Michael Patwell has refused to grant an occasional licence for a festival bar in Mitchelstown’s New Square during the Mitchelstown Indie-pendence Music Festival over the August bank holiday weekend.
Organisers had hoped the bar, proposed to exclusively sell products of the festival’s drink sponsor Bavaria, would go ahead in the New Square having implemented a number of security changes to the access points of the site for this year’s festival. Despite the new security measures taken this year the licence will not be granted, proving another major blow to both the short and long term funding of the event.
The Mitchelstown Indie-Pendence Festival suffered another blow to its funding last Friday when an application for an on site bar was refused. District Court Judge Michael Patwell refused the occasional licence for a festival bar in Mitchelstown’s New Square over the August bank holiday weekend having consulted Garda Inspector Tony O’Sullivan, who revealed he had “reservations” about the plan.
Organisers had hoped the bar, proposed to exclusively sell products of the festival drink sponsor Bavaria, would go ahead in the New Square having implemented a number of security changes to the access points of the site for this year’s festival.
Despite the new security measures taken this year the licence will not be granted, proving another major blow to both the short and long term funding of the event.
While Shane Dunne, event co-ordinator, refused to comment on the latest development, it was in last week’s issue of The Avondhu that he stressed how a strong financial performance over the weekend was essential for the festival to break even.
Furthermore implications of the licence rejection will also be a concern to the new sponsors, with Bavaria having signed a three-year deal with organisers stipulating a performance-related scale of payments.
It was in his interview last week with this paper that Mr. Dunne revealed “if their (Bavaria) sales are good it’s good for the festival.” While this sponsorship remains organisers will undoubtedly hope people will support the Bavaria brand in light of losing a valuable on site outlet for the product.
While the New Square is a public area for the duration of the festival, it will be an event arena, with organisers revealing that access to the area will be through designated security checkpoints, and persons deemed underage who attempt to bring alcohol into the festival site will be refused entry and reported to gardai. T
he latest setback comes in a year when the festival has already lost funding in the form of sponsorship from a major drinks company, resulting in a budget cut of some €50,000.
Published:
Thursday 24th July 6:38pm
