ONE of Melksham’s biggest events of the year. Party in the Park, has been cancelled with the organisers saying it’s due to the ongoing works by the town council to improve King George V playing field.
Organisers of the music event – which is held in the park, attracting thousands to the town – say that they have made the decision due to a lack of information from the town council about what works are scheduled for this year, and their potential impact on the event.
Melksham Music Festival (MMF) team, who organise Party in the Park, say the delay in obtaining the information has restricted them from securing headline acts for the event, and booking key contractors.
Organisers were seeking reassurance from the town council about the works, as last year’s event, which marked the 20th anniversary, was impacted by building works in the area of the pavilion, resulting in ‘operational difficulties’ and ‘additional costs’.
The town council say they could have accommodated the Party in the Park and were waiting for further information.
It is hoped that Party in the Park will return next year in 2021.
In their statement, MMF said, “It is with regret that MMF can announce that Party in the Park (PITP) will not take place in 2020.
“MMF were disappointed last year that the first phase of the town council’s improvement work was not completed in time for the event. This created operational difficulties over PITP weekend and additional costs were incurred.
“Permission to hold PITP is granted under licence by Wiltshire Council under strict terms and conditions. We are required to produce a comprehensive management plan in advance of the event, and this is fundamental to the licence being granted.
“MMF wrote to the town council in August last year to seek clarity about the scale of their redevelopment work and the impact this might have on PITP and also the likely timetable for this work to take place. It was made clear to the town council that matters needed to be resolved quickly, to enable us to secure headline acts and book key contractors for 2020.
“At the request of the town council, MMF representatives attended a full council meeting in September and we also met with the town clerk in October. Whilst some concerns have been addressed, we have still not been advised of the work to take place at the park this year, or any indication of the timescale for this to be completed.
“As we entered December, we were still not in a position to make bookings and secure contracts with financial deposits with good confidence that the event could take place.
“Consequently, our organising committee were unanimous in agreement to cancel the event.
“Moving forward, MMF very much hope to hold an event at the park in 2021. In the meantime, we will look to run other local events during the year. This will include the established Monster Ball event at the Assembly Hall in October.”
In response, town clerk for the town council, Linda Roberts, told Melksham News, “Melksham Town Council is disappointed that the Melksham Music Festival, (the organiser), has decided the ever-popular Party in the Park will not take place in 2020. This is a key event in this town’s leisure calendar, appreciated by thousands of towns people, and one which this council is proud to support.
“The town council provides funds for this event annually, to the tune of £3,000, for the benefit of local people, as part of our ongoing commitment to leisure activities in the town. This commitment also extends to investment for the improvement of facilities, such as those in the King George V Park.
“However, the town council could certainly have accommodated Party in the Park in 2020, agreeing to close the Splashpad for the duration of the event, and were awaiting the outcome of a simple request to them to make an amendment to the boundary of their event licence.
“Whilst disappointing, we do, of course, respect the decision of Melksham Music Festival not to hold the Party in the Park event this year and look forward, with enthusiasm, to working with them in the planning and delivery of the 2021 event.”