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Unreserved apology from festival bosses

Fans enjoyed the acts that appeared
Fans enjoyed the acts that appeared

Organisers of a major festival - dubbed a shambles by gig-goers - have apologised unreservedly to fans.

Just one day after saying "all headline acts turned up and everyone had a good time", organisers now admit there were a catalogue of issues during the three-day Z008 festival at the weekend.


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Zoothousand co-director Ricardo Monty said the event at Port Lympne wild animal park "experienced some serious teething problems; including queues upon arrival, complaints over campsite overcrowding, lack of drinkable water, line-up and scheduling changes, and some significant dissent from artists regarding payment."


~ Video round-up: Delays, no-shows and disappointment.... welcome to ZOO8! >>>


The admission comes after Kentonline was deluged with complaints yesterday from fans complaining of queues, smelly toilets, acts not showing and chaotic organisation.

Danny Blanche, Zoothousand Festival co-director admitted there had been difficulties surrounding payments for the acts.

He said in a statement released to media: "Our biggest problem was one of miscalculation over cash flow.

"This required us to make pragmatic decisions to cancel a few acts.

"Thankfully, with some vital assistance from Port Lympne Wildlife Park, we managed to keep the show on the road, with the vast majority of the popular acts appearing."


~ What the organisers were saying yesterday >>>


But the organising team claimed the event had been a "qualified success", saying the "sun-soaked revellers enjoyed some extraordinary sets in the beautiful rolling Kent countryside". Around 12,000 people had turned up each day, with 150 performances across eight stages.

Mr Blanche admitted they had had feedback that people were unhappy with queues and the campsite toilets.


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He added: "Obviously, none of this was ideal or planned - and not the quality of experience that we had aimed to deliver - and for that we unreservedly apologise to all those affected by the situation."

He stressed this was the team's first year.

Concerning calls for refunds, Mr Blanche said organisers would be dealing with any complaints posted on the forum or sent to the office, and would respond to each on a case by case basis.

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