New York’s Backyard festival cancelled due to damage to site caused at washout Governors Ball

Aerosmith were due to headline festival in July

The Backyard Festival has been cancelled after New York’s Randall Island Park was deemed “unsuitable for events” following the recent Governors Ball festival, headlined by Kanye West and Kings Of Leon.

New York City parks officials chose to cancel Backyard Festival, due to take place on July 13, after conditions following a storm during the Governors Ball earlier this month. Kings Of Leon‘s headline set at the Governors Ball festival in New York was scrapped on June 7 due to the severe weather conditions. Joan Jett and Aerosmith were due to perform at Backyard, among others.

A spokesperson for Backyard organiser LivingSocial confirmed the decision, explaining to the Washington Business Journal that they were hoping to reorganise the event for some time in the future. “Due to record-breaking rainfall in early June the site has been deemed unsuitable for events. The New York City Parks Department has informed LivingSocial that necessary repairs to the park will not be completed before July 13, 2013. The event on this date is canceled, however if there is any possibility to reschedule the festival LivingSocial will let customers know.”

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The first day of the Governors Ball in New York was ruined when, after Feist’s slot on the Main Stage was cut short due to heavy winds and torrential rain, the vast majority of the crowd left the festival.

With the entire site flooded, a press release was issued just after Kings Of Leon had been due to perform, reading: “Due to the high winds and unsafe stage conditions, Governors Ball has been suspended Friday night. The current wind speeds have made it a safety issue to operate the stages… While Governors Ball and the acts would like nothing more than the show to go on, the safety of our patrons, performers, and staff must always come first. Governors Ball will continue as scheduled Saturday morning. We anticipate gates to open on schedule. We are looking forward to great music and a good time.”

The festival did get back on track, however, with Guns N’ Roses headlining the bill on June 8 and Kanye West closing the event on June 9.

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