July 8, 2008 13:07

Zoo8 organisers speak about festival debacle

Directors apologise and say they ran out of money

The organisers of Zoo8 have apologised to fans for the lacklustre state of the festival last weekend (July 4-6).

Dizzee Rascal, The Rascals, Athlete and Roni Size all pulled out of the event, with many claiming the organisers didn't pay them before they were due to perform.

Facilities at the festival near Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent were criticised, with the number of water taps and toilet conditions singled out.

Co-director of the festival Danny Blanche said: "Our biggest problem was one of miscalculation over cashflow. This required us to make the pragmatic decision to cancel a few acts."

Apologising to festivalgoers, he told the BBC News: "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."

While commenting on "some significant dissent from artists regarding payment", Blanche added: "We want to stress that this was our first festival and that we have dealt with all problems directly and will continue to do so in preparation for next year."