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News News en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:01:31 GMT Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:01:31 GMT 60 Latitude 2010 Florence + The Machine, Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend to headline Florence + The Machine, Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend have been announced as headliners for Latitude 2010. Celebrating its fifth year, Latitude continues to lead the way as a bold and pioneering festival cherry-picking the very best from the worlds of music, theatre, comedy, literature, film, poetry, dance, art, fashion and cabaret and bringing them together for one glorious weekend.  It is a place like no other; an intimate world away from reality that encourages you to be all that you’ve ever wanted to be whilst indulging in the spirit of exploration and discovery. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/c/q/lat1O_web_9-3_7.jpg">Click here to see the poster <img height="225" alt="" width="330" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/c/q/Image/Launch-thumb.gif" /></a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT 2010-03-09T19:00:00 fee56607-59f4-4c78-8595-809c2f423225 1 The Rage Factor On Sunday 6th June, Finsbury Park will host the victory party to end all victory parties! Rage Against The Machine reached the Christmas No. 1 spot thanks to those that bought the single and now the massive 'Thank you' gig that was promised is finally here! On Sunday 6th June, Finsbury Park will host the victory party to end all victory parties! Let's celebrate! All tickets have now been allocated. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BUY FROM EBAY OR OTHER WEBSITES OR TICKET TOUTS. You will only be allowed entry to the event if you match the photo that is on your ticket. This has been done to prevent tickets being sold on at inflated prices and to guarantee that all the tickets are free and go to genuine fans. Anyone attempting to gain entry without the correct photo, name and address details will be refused entry. Those aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an over 18 adult. <a href="http://www.theragefactor.co.uk">www.theragefactor.co.uk</a>  Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:15:00 GMT 2010-02-11T19:15:00 d7aef7a0-a7d4-4c30-bfe4-9d1b81a36c2e 2 Watch out for fake websites Beware of unauthorised ticket agencies including eBay, buying from them can be a lot of trouble - You are likely to pay over the odds for a ticket that will have never existed or might never materialise. Beware of unauthorised ticket agencies including eBay, buying from them can be a lot of trouble - You are likely to pay over the odds for a ticket that will have never existed or might never materialise. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/content/z/x/l/AuthorisedTicketAgents_2009.pdf">Info on Authorised agents</a> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/content/z/x/l/UNAuthorised_TicketAgents_2009.pdf">Info on UNauthorised agents</a> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/content/z/x/l/Info_TicketAgents&TicketTouting.pdf">Info on Ticket Touting</a> Most notable of these UNAUTHORISED sites are: SOS Ticketmaster (not to be confused withTicketmaster who are the real agent) readingfestival.org , readingfestivalonline.co.uk leedsfestival.net, leedsmusicfestival.com readingleeds.co.uk, .readingfesty.org, readingfestivaltickets.co.uk, readingfestivaltickets2010.com, leedsfestivaltickest2010.com readingfestival2009.com, leedsfestival2009.com  anyticket.com, anyworldwideevent.com, bookmetickets.com, britishconcerts.com, clickfortickets.co.uk, coasttocoasttickets.com, craigslist.org, double8tickets.com, Ebay, euroteam.net, Euroteam.net, euroticketfinder.co.uk, EUticketshop.com, everysell.com, exciteticket.com, frontrowtickets.com, Getmein.com, getmetickets.com, getmetickets.net, getmetickets.org, gotickets.com, gumtree.com, hertsboxoffice.co.uk, londonticketbrokers.co.uk, londonticketmarket.com, londonticketexchange.com, londonticketsexpress.com, londonticketshop.co.uk, londonticketshop.com, luckyseventickets.com, mostwantedtickets.co.uk, no1eventsltd.co.uk, no1soldoutevents.com, onlineticketexchange.com, onlineseats.com, paperticket.co.uk, play.com, premierevents.co.uk, redcircletickets.com, seatexchange.co.uk, seatwave.com, showtimetickets.co.uk, sohotickets.com, soldoutentertainments.com, soldouteventtickets.com, SOS Masterticket, SOS Ticketmaster, sostickets.com, splendidtickets.com, sportscityevents.com, stubhub.com, summerfestivaltickets.com, theonlineticketshop.com, threechings.com, Ticket2ride.net, tickco.com, ticket2bethere.co.uk, ticket4-you.com, tickethold.com, ticketluck.com, ticketnest.net, ticketnetwork.com, ticketnova.com, ticketsinventory.com, ticketsnow.com, ticketsolutions.co.uk, ticketsolutionsltd.com, ticketssoldout.co.uk, ticketssoldout.net, ticketstub.com, ticketsukltd.com, tickettout.com, tickettriangle.com, tickex.com, TixDaq.com, totaltickets.co.uk, trustedtickets.com, warnfestivals.co.uk, westminsterevents.com, worldticketshop.com, xclusiveticket.com Additional Unauthorised Sites: Anyone advertised on Readingfestival.org - this is not an authorised site. <a href="http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/reports/consumer_protection/ticketagentquestions.pdf">More tout info from Office of Fair Trading - please read</a>                                ~ . ~ We are currently looking into companies selling 'touted' tickets and we are doing what we can to stop fraudulent activity. FURTHER INFORMATION & CONTACTS:  If you feel a victim of these companies we suggest a number of actions: 1.Call the police; if your money has been taken and no product delivered, this is theft. 2.Report the company to the Trading Standards 3.Contact the BBC's watchdog programme 4.Contact the websites' Internet Service Providers as they have obligations to ensure they are not publishing fraudulent and illegal activity. HELPFUL LINKS: <a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/RightsAndResponsibilities/RightsAndResponsibilitiesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10015892&chk=I8hfA1">Trading Standards website customer accounts of GetMeTickets</a>  <a href="http://www.easynet.com/legal/acceptable.asp">Easynets Acceptable use policy, Service provider of GetMeTickets</a>  <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/">BBC Watchdog</a> <a href="http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1446">Get Safe Online</a> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/Festival_T&Cs_2009.pdf">Festival Republic's Ticket Terms & Conditions</a> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT 2010-02-12T00:00:00 95586df6-e004-4421-8d1c-5b0ec6fb033d 3 Electric Picnic wins two awards Best Large Festival and Greenest Festival! Electric Picnic has won two very special awards in the Irish Festival Awards announced on Friday: Best Large Festival and Greenest Festival. Electric Picnic 2009 saw Orbital, The Flaming Lips, Brian Wilson, Basement Jaxx, Madness, Klaxons, Bell X1, Fleet Foxes and MGMT appearing, whilst Tommy Tiernan headlined the comedy tent. More than 15,000 Irish music fans and gig-goers cast their votes in the 100% publicly-voted 2009 Irish Festival Awards.  The winners were revealed last night in the Sugar Club, Dublin. Electric Picnic will be parading back into Stradbally once again next September 3rd, 4th & 5th with all the usual suspects and more, adorned in all their festival finery. The hottest bands, the brightest minds, the most devilish comedians. A unique combination of energy and sparkle, other worldliness and circus pizzazz.. Tickets for Electric Picnic 2010 are now on sale. <a href="http://www.electricpicnic.ie/">Click here to get tickets</a> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT 2010-02-15T00:00:00 951314fb-a10b-44db-823e-d40ff78c847b 1000000 Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser The aim of this event is to raise awareness of a culture in trouble and generate desperately needed funds for the people of Haiti. The sole beneficiaries will be <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/">ActionAid</a> & <a href="http://www.msf.org.uk/">Medecins Sans Frontieres</a> with 100% of all ticket sales going to the charities. Tickets are now on sale for the fundraiser at London's Roundhouse on 25th February 2010. <a href="http://www.haitiearthquakefundraiser.com/index.php">http://www.haitiearthquakefundraiser.com/index.php</a> Festival Republic is proud to support ActionAid. Since 2002 ActionAid has teamed up with us at Reading Festival to give thousands of people the opportunity to say "Bollocks To Poverty!" and take action against HIV, unfair trade, corporate abuse, climate change and hunger.                                   <img alt="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/" width="190" height="35" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/w/z/y/Image/action-aid-logo.gif" /> <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/">ActionAid</a> are delighted that the Haiti Earthquake fundraiser has chosen them as a beneficiary. The earthquake has been a complete tragedy for Haiti, already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Up to one-third of the population of Haiti has been affected by this devastating earthquake, the worst seen in the country for 200 years. Haiti’s Prime Minister is estimating that up to 100,000 people may have been killed, and three million people could be affected. Many people are still trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings. There are now serious concerns for the survivors’ health and safe water, sanitation and food become scarce.  ActionAid Haiti Country Director, Jean-Claude Fignole has described the situation being faced: “Conditions are catastrophic - absolutely catastrophic. I have seen some of the most horrible things I have seen in my life. I am putting out a plea to the government, to any of the authorities co-operating with Haiti, to help clean up the bodies on the streets because the health and the sanitation of this situation for the city are potentially of epic proportions." ActionAid's response ActionAid has a long-established programme in Haiti. Our staff and partners are already there working with communities and helping the poorest and most vulnerable people. Emergency specialists are on their way to help local staff to deliver food, shelter, blankets, soap and other items. We will also be providing counselling and support to Haitians who have lost loved ones in the earthquake. We urgently need to raise £800,000 for immediate relief, to provide water, food and shelter for around 20,000 people. Richard Turner, Director of Fundraising, ActionAid UK has called out to supporters  “Now is the time to help - this event will help us to provide emergency care and rebuild the lives of Haitians in the long-term. The earthquake has been a brutal reminder of the force of nature, but also of the capacity of mankind to ease the suffering of others in their hour of need. We are delighted to receive this support.” All funds donated to ActionAid from the Haiti Earthquake fundraiser, will be spent ensuring ActionAid can continue supporting the communities affected, helping them to re-build their lives, restore livelihoods and recover from the trauma of the earthquake. What your money can achieve: £10 could provide water to 25 families for a day £36 could help provide a vital supplies kit to a family who have lost everything £50 could help provide temporary shelter for a whole family To find out more about ActionAid’s work in Haiti and around the world: <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk">www.actionaid.org.uk</a>                                   <a href="http://www.msf.org.uk/"><img alt="" width="200" height="120" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/w/z/y/Image/medecins.gif" /></a> "On behalf of our patients, our international medical volunteers and our Haitian staff we would like to thank you. By organising the Haiti Earthquake Fundraiser At The Roundhouse you are showing incredible initiative and compassion. Your hard work compliments that of our medical who are working 24 hours a day to save the injured in Haiti. So far we have treated over 1,500 people; people with burns; people with broken bones and head injuries; people in need of amputations as gangrene sets in; children orphaned by the earthquake. The numbers affected are incomprehensible. But each one of you is helping one or more of them, in their greatest hour of need. And MSF is sincerely grateful to you." James Kliffen - Head of Fundraising, Médecins Sans Frontières <a href="http://www.msf.org.uk/">www.msf.org.uk/</a> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT 2010-01-22T00:00:00 a84c3398-85cf-4b28-890b-c09adcc7b6d9 1000000 Hove Festival 2010 Tickets are now on sale We are happy to see that so many people already are planning for Hove 2010. The first artists for the 2010 lineup were announced last week, and we can tell you that there's lots more in the pipeline! Hove has the best from the world's of indie, electro, metal and hip hop. Hove Festival 2010 takes place between 29th of June and 2nd of July on Tromøya outside Arendal, Norway. The line up so far includes Dizzee Rascal, Gallows, As I Lay Dying, Serena Maneesh and Kråkesølv.  Tickets are now on sale. See you at Hove 2010! <a href="http://www.hovefestival.com/">www.hovefestival.com/</a> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-12-17T00:00:00 e5665c7d-0a61-45a2-98c5-73495490bd20 1000000 Christmas Parcels with The Salvation Army Reading Festival helped The Salvation Army pack up Christmas Food Parcels. At Reading Festival this year, festival goers were asked to donate any unwanted, non-perishable food at dedicated drop-off points around the site and over a tonne of food was collected by The Salvation Army!   Yesterday a team of Festival Republic volunteers went along The Salvation Army in Reading to help pack almost 600 Christmas food parcels for local families and single people nominated by social services. Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic:  “It’s been a massive success - the food donation scheme is definitely here to stay and we will look to expand on this next year.” Thanks to everyone who donated this year! You can see the news piece <a href="http://www.itv.com/meridian-west/fullprogramme/">HERE</a> (12.25 minutes in) <img height="210" width="350" alt="" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/n/i/e/Image/ChristmasParcels4.jpg" /> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-12-08T00:00:00 b9d456dd-2682-4ffd-a8ec-689b1406a137 1000000 Electric Picnic 2010 The hottest bands, the brightest minds, the most devilish comedians. “..a totally amazing event…a cross between Glastonbury and Hay-on-Wye” Jon Snow, Sept 09 Electric Picnic will be parading back into Stradbally once again next September 3rd, 4th & 5th with all the usual suspects and more, adorned in all their festival finery.  The hottest bands, the brightest minds, the most devilish comedians. A unique combination of energy and sparkle, other worldliness and circus pizzazz. For those eager to get an early start there will be a limited release of Early Bird tickets on Friday 4th December at the usual reduced rate of €199. The Family Early Bird will also go on sale this date. (Be sure to book this ticket to ensure access to the Family Campsite). Tickets will be on sale from 9am Friday 4th December at <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.ie">www.ticketmaster.ie</a> CreditCard Hotline Ph 0818 719300/ NI 0870 2434455 Tune in next Spring for Music line-up announcement. ‘…you know you’re in for a different festival experience. ‘ Irish Independent Sept 2008 <a href="http://www.electricpicnic.ie">www.electricpicnic.ie</a> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-12-04T00:00:00 674215d5-ad99-4984-b050-03923a7d6275 1000000 Merchandise Sale Up to 50% off - tshirts, hoodies, programmes... We're having a sale - up to 50% off. Remember the good times with a festival tshirt, a hoodie, a programme or a tote bag! <a href="http://latitude.sandbag.uk.com/Store/DisplayItems-102341-0-0.html">Latitude</a>        <a href="http://readingleedsfestival.sandbag.uk.com/Store/DisplayItems-100921-0-0.html">Reading & Leeds</a> Perfect gifts for Christmas - but remember the last shipping dates for delivery before 25th December: UK: First Class: 21st December Special Delivery: 23rd December Rest Of World [International Airmail & Signed for] 4th December: South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia, New Zealand Australia 10th December: Japan, USA, Canada, Eastern Europe 11th December: Western Europe Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-12-02T00:00:00 561ca984-8bd5-4700-b458-e0f317949bb6 1000000 2010 Disabled Customers ~ Festival Information Annual guides for our disabled customers at 2010 festivals next summer. Below are the annual guides to disabled access and facilities at Reading, Leeds and Latitude Festivals. We want everyone to be able to enjoy our events, participate, feel safe, and be part of the crowd. We hope to help you make an informed decision about attending. This information is also contained on each event’s own website. Festival Republic is proud to continue supporting and working alongside Attitude Is Everything, the foremost disability advice and information service currently working to improve D/deaf and disabled people’s access to live music. Disabled consultants, volunteers and gig goers attend and audit our events, and their feedback, with that of our customers, is central to our ongoing work. If you have any comments about this guide, please send them to us. This information is also available in large print, and can be posted or emailed. Details on how to apply are yet to be confirmed. Please note all information may be subject to change, but updated information will be available on site.  <a href="http://readingfestival.co.uk/info/index.aspx?id=407">Reading Information</a> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/content/z/x/l/Leeds%20Festival%20-%20disabled%20info.pdf">Leeds Information </a> <a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/eventinfo/index.aspx?id=389">Latitude Information</a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-11-17T00:00:00 675f8c72-cbae-4edd-a7e8-f3dd779a1db4 1000000 Hove Festival 2010 At least two major headliners are confirmed. At the press conference last night, Festival Republic's Managing Director, Melvin Benn, announced that the wheels are in motion for the 2010 Hove Festival. At least two major headliners are confirmed and will hopefully be announced some time before Christmas. The festival dates have been moved so that Hove will be in the same period as the Roskilde festival in Denmark. This is a great opportunity for Hove to attract some of the same artists as Roskilde, one of Europe's biggest and most well known festivals. Festival passes will be available next Tuesday, 17th of November. All tickets will be sold at 2009 prices until 25th of December! The first artists have been announced: English hardcore punkers Gallows, metalcore from As I Lay Dying and Every Time I Die, californian Atreyu, The Antlers, Japandroids and Norwegian act Kråkesølv were announced at the press conferance last night. Many more bands will be confirmed in the next few weeks, so be sure to check in for updates on booking and lots more! Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-11-11T00:00:00 9943978c-3633-43f5-a776-3ee11a7fd86b 1000000 Adam Green at Electric Ballroom Festival Republic presents the anti-hero of the anti-folk scene Festival Republic presents: ADAM GREEN + The Voluntary Butler Scheme Electric Ballroom Thursday 4th February 2010 Doors 7.00 pm Adv £12.50 (booking fees apply) In support of new material, anti-folk troubadour and famous American celebrity  Adam Green returns to London for a show at the Electric Ballroom in February. His new album 'Minor Love' will be released January 11th 2010 through Rough Trade Records. Recorded with long time producer/friend Noah Georgeson, his sixth album showcases a tender side from the often arrogant and aspiringly bisexual singer. Tickets go on sale Tuesday 10th November from <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/?c=435611">HERE</a> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-11-05T00:00:00 e98819cb-16fb-4452-8e1e-8b3d017a4ba9 1000000 Economic Business Impact Assessment We have commissioned Bristol based consultants Baker Associates to assess the festival’s economic impact. Surveys have already been carried out at this year’s event with festival goers and traders.  Students from the University of Reading conducted over 2000 face to face surveys with festival goers which explored demographic profile, festival attendance and spending patterns. A face to face survey with traders, suppliers and promoters on site at the festival was also conducted by Baker Associates to understand business types, expenditure, staffing levels and supply chains. The next step of the assessment is to ask local businesses how Reading Festival affects them in terms of employment, trading and turnover. We have commissioned Bristol based consultants Baker Associates to assess the festival’s economic impact.  The data derived from each of the above components will be fed into an economic impact model which estimates the impact of Reading Festival in terms of the investment it brings to the town and the jobs it helps to secure.  The results of the survey will be used to ensure the economic benefits of the Reading Festival are fully understood and capitalised on. Baker Associates, Festival Republic and Reading UK CIC, the economic development company for Reading, are now inviting Reading businesses to take part in a short survey.  The more businesses that complete the short survey, the more accurate the results will be.  The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and businesses will also have the chance to win 2 race passes at Teamworks Karting. Businesses can complete the survey by visiting: <a href="http://www.bakerassocs.com/reading_survey.php">http://www.bakerassocs.com/reading_survey.php</a>.   The deadline for completing the survey is 9 November. Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-10-19T00:00:00 3cada3bd-b8b8-41e8-87a0-a7ba8a70f16d 1000000 Them Crooked Vultures Festival Republic and SJM present two London dates in December Them Crooked Vultures will play HMV Apollo Hammersmith on 17th and 18th December. Tickets are now completely sold out.   Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-09-02T00:00:00 58b1644f-75e3-4323-8d62-8d3641a73567 1000000 Arctic Monkeys play 02 Academy Brixton Festival Republic presents Arctic Monkeys plus support Set to headline Reading & Leeds festivals over the Bank Holiday weekend coming up, Arctic Monkeys will play 02 Academy Brixton on Wednesday 26th August as they prepare to take to the main stage a few days later. To enter lottery for chance to buy a pair of tickets visit <a href="http://www.arcticmonkeys.com">www.arcticmonkeys.com</a>  Please note this is the only way to buy tickets and they are not available anywhere else. This show is strictly 16+ Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-08-18T10:00:00 ac99b4ac-b90f-4c7a-8871-f1ea3bca3963 1000000 FestivalBUDi Liftshare to Reading or Leeds FestivalBudi is the new purpose built riding matching service set up just for festivals by Liftshare with the support of Festival Republic. Need to come to the festival by car? Find someone travelling your way to save yourself some money, be kind to the planet and have fun travelling with other festival goers. Sign up for free, and if you’re a driver offer a lift. If you don’t have a car and want to grab a ride, then sign up and put in a lift request. It’s a great way to reduce your petrol costs, reduce your carbon footprint and to make new festival buddies! <a href="http://www.festivalbudi.com">www.festivalbudi.com</a> <a href="http://www.liftshare.com/v3/pages/quickreg.asp?eid=5">Click here to go directly to the Reading Festival FestivalBudi lift matching page.</a> <a href="http://www.liftshare.com/v3/pages/quickreg.asp?eid=4">Click here to go directly to the Leeds Festival FestivalBudi lift matching page</a>. Remember to travel safely. Please read this practical safety guide on liftsharing put together by A Greener Festival: <a href="http://www.agreenerfestival.com/pdfs/Lift_Sharing.pdf">www.agreenerfestival.com/pdfs/Lift_Sharing.pdf</a> If you must bring your car, please consider the following in the interests of the environment and also to reduce congestion: •  Transport as many people as possible with you •  Travel at off peak times (the peak time for arriving onsite is 08.00 to 14.00 on the Thursday) •  Consider car sharing.  <a href="http://www.festivalbudi.com"><img height="86" alt="" width="313" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/k/f/f/Image/liftshare-budi.jpg" /></a> Find someone travelling your way to save yourself some money, be kind to the planet and have fun travelling with other festival goers. Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-08-06T00:00:00 d6453798-92b4-47da-9f7a-cda57234d0fe 1000000 Deftones & Rival Schools HMV Forum on Thursday 27th August The Deftones gig at the HMV Forum on Thursday 27th August is now SOLD OUT. Rival Schools will be supporting. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-07-21T00:00:00 77c430ab-82c8-49a8-8a8a-630d9bfa220e 1000000 BBC Radio Arena at Latitude BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music join Radio 4 at Latitude for the first time. BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music today announce details of their debut appearance at the Latitude festival in July. The Latitude festival is an eclectic blend of music, arts and comedy, and both networks will broadcast a selection of live programmes giving festival goers the chance to interact with key arts and culture presenters. With a focus on the music, Radio 2 and 6 Music join festival regular BBC Radio 4 at the four-day event from Thursday 16 – Sunday 19 July in Southwold, Suffolk. Radio 4 is at Latitude for the fourth year with five shows featuring a mix of award-winning comedy and special commissioned programmes. Jeff Smith, Head of Music BBC Radio 2 says “Taking Radio 2 and 6 Music to Latitude demonstrates the continued commitment to bringing the best of live music and events to our audiences. It is important to get out and connect with our listeners around the country and Latitude represents a great opportunity for this – the broad range of music and varied arts and culture elements lend themselves well to our audience and to coverage in our programming. In addition, Radio 2’s lead focus on the music will complement the Latitude output of Radio 4.” Radio 2 kicks off the proceedings with Stuart Maconie broadcasting live from the festival on the Thursday night from 8pm. He’ll be interviewing topper Little Boots plus other big names as they arrive for the festival. Claudia Winkleman, who joined Radio 2 in last autumn, takes her weekly arts show on the road for the first time. She will be broadcasting live from the BBC Radio Arena on Friday night with an audience of 300 festival goers and lots of audience participation with her guests, including Latitude creator and director Melvin Benn. On Friday night, Dermot O’Leary will record a special Radio 2 Introduces performance from burgeoning star Elviin, in the BBC Radio Arena with a live audience. This will then go out as part of his show on Saturday afternoon, along with chats and performances from some of the biggest and most interesting music names at the festival. Radio 2 Introduces is a regular part of Dermot’s show where he hand picks a hot new artist to feature on the programme and the Radio 2 playlist. A special edition of The Great British Songbook Masterclass will be recorded on Saturday evening from the Literary Arena for broadcast as part of Janice Long’s show, (Monday 12.00am – 3.00am). A guest artist, to be announced at a later date, will play one of their songs and invite the audience to deconstruct the piece of music and lyrics and discuss its structure and influence. The audience will then be asked to reconstruct the song and perform it. Janice will also be having ‘campfire’ chats across the weekend with artists and musicians to be broadcast in her show in the early hours of Monday. 6 Music launches Latitude live on Friday with Steve Lamacq as he chats to live guests and plays hand picked performances. On Sunday a special edition of The Music Week is presented by Julie Cullen live from the site with Matt Everitt in the London studio featuring interviews from top festival names, all the music news and a look back over the four days of performance. Radio 4 tickets are available in advance to Latitude ticket holders only (Go <a href="http://shows.external.bbc.co.uk/help/shows/latitude_festival">HERE</a> to book) and will not be available on site.   BBC Radio 4 has five shows recording in front of festival audiences - a mix of old favourites and new specially commissioned output for Latitude. Festival early birds and comedy lovers can watch the award winning team of Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Marcus Brigstocke, Mitch Benn, Jon Holmes and Laura Shavin record the week's edition of the topical comedy The Now Show on Thursday night, which will broadcast on Friday 17. On Friday, Stories with Latitude! features a montage of stories written especially for Radio 4 at Latitude and read out loud by their authors; award wining novelist Matt Thorne, Emma Kennedy and Stephen K Amos. The programme will broadcast on Radio 4 the following week. On Saturday Clive Anderson returns to Latitude with Loose Ends for a mix of live music, stand-up comedy and conversation. He will be joined by guests including comedian Seann Walsh and Janeane Garofalo. The show will broadcast later the same evening. Stuart Maconie (Saturday) and Vivienne Westwood (Sunday) share their favourite passages from literature, hand picked especially for you, in two recordings of With Great Pleasure.  Joining Vivienne Westwood to read her selection will be actor David Morrissey. [Broadcast date tbc]. And finally to finish off a busy day, the award winning comedian Adam Hills, hosts 4 In A Field featuring the best of the Festival's comedy including Stephen K Amos and Rob Rouse, recorded for broadcast the following Wednesday. In addition BBC Radio 5 Live’s Gabby Logan brings her popular Sunday morning show live from the festival with her usual mix of topical chat, combined with a flavour of the festival, and a look at some of the stories of the weekend. Anarchic comedy sketch group Pappy's Fun Club will be dropping by with their take on a weekend at the festival, and comedienne Zoe Lyons will be casting her eye over the week’s events as News v Sport goes to Latitude. <a href="http://bbc.co.uk/latitude">bbc.co.uk/latitude</a> will feature broadcast and line up information, feeding out to the respective sites of the networks. <a href="http://bbc.co.uk/radio2">bbc.co.uk/radio2</a> will feature extensive content including pictures, videos, and exclusive content plus behind-the-scenes video with Claudia Winkleman and Dermot O'Leary. Claudia Winkleman will be Twittering her personal experience from the whole weekend here: <a href="http://twitter.com/ClaudiaWinkle">http://twitter.com/ClaudiaWinkle</a> and Radio 2 will be Twittering on behalf of the network as a whole here: <a href="http://twitter.com/BBC_Radio_2">http://twitter.com/BBC_Radio_2</a>. Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-22T00:00:00 f69a1aab-02c2-4c20-ad07-37b249986c0c 1000000 More bands added to Latitude Line Up A wealth of talent has just joined the bill... With the amazing announcement yesterday that Thom Yorke will play a special one-off set at noon on the Obelisk Stage on Sunday at Latitude, there are even more bands added today including Of Montreal, Lykke Li, Fever Ray, Paloma Faith, Maps, Local Natives, Mirrors, Sky Larkin, Villagers, Goldheart Assembly, Alfonzo, Camera Obscura, St Vincent. The last few tickets are available <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/latitude">HERE</a>. Weekend tickets cost £150 and day tickets are £60, all tickets are subject to booking fees. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-09T00:00:00 495a056e-fb58-43ae-95a8-d653d604600a 1000000 Festival Republic Stage announced Marmaduke Duke, The Blackout, Bring Me The Horizon & La Roux With a line-up that crosses all the genres from rock to synth pop and all the names you have read about as tips for the year, The Festival Republic Stage is once again your A to Z of the best new bands in Britain and the world.  Reading and Leeds is not just about the big names, on this stage some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll stories begin and, this year, here’s who will be writing their names into the history of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll show on earth. Marmaduke Duke, The Blackout & La Roux will be headlining the Festival Republic Stage. Plus: A Day To Remember, A Place To Bury Strangers, Amazing Baby, Atreyu, Baddies, Bear Hands, The Big Pink, Black Lips, Bombay Bicycle Club, Bring Me The Horizon, Broken Records, The Chapman Family, Detroit Social Club, Fight Like Apes, Go Audio, Golden Silvers, Grammatics, Hockey, The Hot Rats, Jack's Mannequin, The Joy Formidable, Lightspeed Champion, Magistrates, Marina And The Diamonds, Middle Class Rut, Pulled Apart By Horses, The Rumble Strips, Single File, Skint And Demoralised, The Soft Pack, Soulsavers, Sweethead, The Temper Trap, Titus Andronicus, White Denim. Also just announced, additions to the Main Stage include Mariachi El Bronx, The View and The Living End. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-09T00:00:00 060c9c4a-0e90-401d-aea1-b09705f38037 1000000 Thom Yorke at Latitude A solo set from Thom Yorke at Latitude Festival. One of the most important and innovative songwriters and musicians of our generation, Thom Yorke, will be playing a solo set on the Obelisk Arena at noon on Sunday.  With this specially created time slot, there is no doubt Yorke will wow audiences with this exclusive and very rare solo performance. As well as worldwide success and dominance with multi-platinum album selling band Radiohead, in 2006 Yorke released his first solo album, ‘The Eraser’, which received a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. Melvin Benn, Managing Director, Festival Republic says: ‘There is nothing I can add that Thom Yorke’s confirmation doesn't already say. That it is a special one-off performance for Latitude only fills me with enormous pride at the statement it makes about the festival. I am overjoyed at the thought of it.”   <a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk">www.latitudefestival.co.uk</a> Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-08T00:00:00 a5a6b09f-29bb-4eb7-8552-382dd861a81c 1000000 Arctic Monkeys draw inspiration from Latitude Festival Third album due out before they headline Reading and Leeds Festivals. Frontman Alex Turner told NME.COM that the band started work on the album last summer, using their trip to the Latitude festival for inspiration. "We went to Latitude, ripped it up, wrote on our faces and eventually wrote some songs," he said. "We spent the first day there on the most complicated riff you've ever heard. "It goes round in seven-and-a-half-time. We used it in the end, it's on an intro. It was like [Black] Sabbath." The band also confirmed that they plan to release the album before their headline performances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August. Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-04T00:00:00 726c80d2-33a7-4d20-902d-e17847374979 1000000 Vampires, Zombies and The Whoopee Club at Latitude Festival The Film & Music Arena is where you should start your night after the music ends! Get your tickets to the fourth edition of the festival on the glorious Sunrise Coast in Suffolk from <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/latitude">SeeTickets.com</a> UNCUT ARENA ~ Saint Etienne ~ The Temper Trap ~ SUNRISE ARENA ~ Kap Bambino ~ FILM & MUSIC ARENA ~ Future Cinema Presents Black Cat White Cat with Taraf de Haidouks~ ~ Noise Of Art presents ‘Love Bites – The Dance Of The Vampires ~ ~ Vashti Bunyan: From Here to Before with Kieran Evans, Adem & Friends ~ ~ Jeremy Deller ~ Jeremy Warmsley ~ ~ One eskimO ~ London Short Film Festival ~ ~ Night Of The Living Dead – 3D ~ LITERARY ARENA ~ Frank Skinner ~ ~ Grace Maxwell & Edwyn Collins ~ ~ Punk Fiction with Cathi Unsworth, Nicholas Hogg, Janine Bullman, Salena Godden, Dev Hynes, Lee Bullman ~ COMEDY ARENA ~ Lee Mack ~Stephen Grant ~ Rob Rouse ~ John Gordillo ~ Kerry Godliman ~ CABARET ARENA ~ The Whoopee Club ~ Ima Doll ~ Fancy Chance ~ Ekat ~ ~Beaux Belles ~ Russella ~ The Two Wrongies ~ ~ Miss Lady G Luck ~ Simon Deville ~ Des O’Connor ~ Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-02T00:00:00 d198215a-9dd3-4397-8b70-dd3935158f20 1000000 Amazing Art at Latitude Jeremy Deller, Sir Peter Blake, and One eskimO Artist and Turner Prize Winner, Jeremy Deller will give a talk at Latitude in the Film & Music Arena. In huge demand, Deller has recently displayed his latest installation in Louis Vuitton’s newly opened store and was also one of the six selected nominees for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. His project 'The Spoils of War (Memorial for an Unknown Civilian)’ is an idea which took him all over America towing the burned-out wreck of a car blown up in a suicide bombing in Iraq to discover the reactions to this lump of twisted metal. Deller will also answer questions from the floor with director Nicholas Abrahams about their documentary ‘The Posters Came From The Walls’, a fascinating and inspired study of Depeche Mode fans from around the world which will be played in full on Friday at Latitude. Sir Peter Blake will be in conversation with Mark Ellen discussing his life and work. Initially, Sir Peter Blake may have been most acclaimed in the general public’s eyes through his design of The Beatles ‘Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album sleeve (1967), but continued to produce art for the Band Aid single in 1984, Paul Weller’s ‘Stanley Road’ album a decade later and the late Ian Dury tribute album in 2001 who was highly influenced by Sir Peter Blake’s work. Sir Peter Blake has taught in numerous establishments and currently lives and works in London. Produced by Rollo of Faithless, One eskimO, are a four piece, animated band consisting of a penguin, an Eskimo, a giraffe and a monkey. Together they make beautiful blissed-out music full of soulful vocals, ambient beats and laid-back grooves. At Latitude they will be bringing the worlds of film and music together, the band (consisting of Kristian Leontiou on vocals, Adam Falkner on drums, Pete Rinaldi on guitar and Jamie Sefton on bass and horns) play in front of a big screen showing stunning films of the trials and tribulations of One eskimO and friends. The cartoon characters and their enchanted world are conjured up by Passion Pictures who are the team behind Gorillaz and the video to recent single ‘Hometime’ won the Public Choice Award at the 2008 British Animation Awards. Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 31 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-06-01T00:00:00 b22cd302-2b40-444e-8f5f-923797e57629 1000000 Latest Latitude Acts More great bands just added to the Music Arenas. OBELISK ARENA ~ Datarock ~ The open-air Obelisk Arena has been the stage for some epic performances over the past three years and the line up for Latitude 2009 will continue in this success. Lay out your picnic blanket, bask in the sunshine and get down to some of the best music around. UNCUT ARENA  ~ Marnie Stern ~ iLiKETRAiNS ~ ~ Wildbirds and Peacedrums ~ The impressive structure of the tented Uncut Arena houses a line-up of alternative, leftfield music; a hotbed of genre-spanning artists all offering something unique. This year will once again host a myriad of musical musts from the fields of folk, world, experimental, electronica, rock, indie and any other musical style you can think of. It’s all on offer at the Uncut Arena. SUNRISE ARENA ~ 65 Days Of Static ~ ~ Asaf Avidan and The Mojos ~ Take a stroll through Latitude’s fairytale woods with art exhibited within the trees and dappled sunlight shining through the leaves and you will stumble across the most exquisite space of all; the Sunrise Arena, home to tomorrow’s biggest stars. With a full schedule still to be announced, this cosy and cherished arena is the place to find the most exciting new talent. Discover the next big thing at Latitude’s stunning Sunrise Arena. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 25 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-05-26T00:00:00 6889f332-aeb1-4788-bfbc-2abdda96c9aa 1000000 More bands announced for Reading and Leeds Check out the following superb additions to what is THE festival bill of the summer! Main Stage  FRIDAY Reading / SUNDAY Leeds New Found Glory  .  Alexisonfire  .  Madina Lake  .  Sonic Boom Six Main Stage  SATURDAY Reading / FRIDAY Leeds The Rakes  .  Fightstar  NME / Radio 1 Stage  FRIDAY Reading / SATURDAY Leeds The Horrors  .  Little Boots  .  The Airborne Toxic Event  .  The Virgins  .  Manchester Orchestra  .  Dananananaykroyd  NME / Radio 1 Stage  SATURDAY Reading / FRIDAY Leeds You Me At Six  .  Patrick Wolf . Metric  .  Spinnerette  . Delphic  . Dinosaur Pile Up NME / Radio 1 Stage  SUNDAY Reading / SATURDAY Leeds Crystal Castles  .  Passion Pit  .  Metronomy  .  Frank Turner  .  Lethal Bizzle  .  In Case Of Fire  .  Broadway Calls  Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 25 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-05-26T00:00:00 b8ff903e-e416-4020-8dd3-efed23f0247e 1000000 Fabulous Fashion at Latitude Festival Vivienne Westwood, House of Blueyues Fashion Extravaganza and of course the glamourous Cabaret Arena Bringing together the worlds of fashion, art, music and film in an exciting and vibrant culture collision the House Of BlueEyes collective will be staging an incredible fashion show exclusively at Latitude Festival this year. Using Latitude’s striking setting as the backdrop and performed over the festival’s beautiful lake, label creator Johnny BlueEyes together wit h his army of designers and artists will stage a magnificent showcase of an exquisite collection of garments and accessories accompanied by fantastic music and live performances. Titled, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Faerie’, this will be a magical show of high fashion, loud music and stunning art. The fashion show including fierce catwalks and performance art, will feature fabulous designs and specially made special pieces to be premiered at the Festival. As always, music will play an integral part of the show and soundtracking the event will be a heart-pumping mixture of classic and modern rock ‘n’ roll, anything from Primal Scream to Iggy Pop with a few extra little surprises to keep the party going. The grande dame of fashion Vivienne Westwood will be reading from her challenging and thought-provoking manifesto 'Active Resistance to Propaganda' in Latitude's Literary Arena. A collection of essays it is full of ideas about art and culture that claims to "...penetrate to the root of the human predicament and offer the underlying solution."  If you want to experience something entirely different then seek out Latitude’s quirky den of mischief and mayhem; the Cabaret Arena. Inside you will witness comedy sketch shows, burlesque, freak shows, drag queens, sing-a-longs, illusionists and much, much more. With Vaudeville fun, sharp, incisive wit, camp entertainment and a good ol’ fashioned knees up, the Cabaret Arena positively encourages you to leave your inhibitions at the door and be game for anything and everything. This surreal bordello of surprises and spectacular stage shows is visually rich, beautiful and bizarre and will tempt and titillate in equal measure. Ever dreamt of 1950’s pin up girls bursting out of giant cakes and bathing in champagne? Britain’s famous Whoopee Club will make your dreams come true live in the Cabaret Arena. Established in 2003 and having performed at various events such as the Hackney Empire and the V&A museum, the Whoopee Club will bring joie de vivre back into our hearts through their fusion of burlesque and theatre with Fancy Chance, eKat, The Two Wrongies, Ima Doll, Russella, Beaux Belles, Miss Lady G Luck, Simon Deville, and Des O'Connor. Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 24 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-05-25T00:00:00 f6b726dd-5aed-41f5-bffe-1a4594415462 1000000 Festival Republic & Cradle - Thailand Project 2009 We hope that the new facilities will provide the children with the safe, calm and inspiring environment they need to study. With Cradle we announced in February that we had started to build the new Pakklong School in Thailand. The digging for the school’s foundations began back on the 17th of December 2008. If the children of the Kapong District are to develop and thrive academically they will need financial support and it is crucial that they receive funding for a new building, new classrooms and basic schoolbooks. The Pakklong School is in a state of utter disrepair. It has only one building, (which is over 40 years old and dilapidated) and there are only three classrooms to accommodate over a hundred pupils. Also, as the school caters for a variety of age groups, younger children are forced to share washing facilities with older students which means that they have difficulties reaching the taps and other facilities. We hope that the new facilities will provide the children with the safe, calm and inspiring environment they need to study. In an attempt to assist the building of the new Pakklong school Ola Nilsson from Festival Republic, was on site in Thailand to give the building crew a helping hand.  "It is inspiring to be here and meet the students, teachers and the building crew. Everyone is very excited about the new school and once it is ready the new facilities will provide a much better foundation for the children’s education. I was based in Thailand for ten weeks and during my time here I worked a few days a week on the building site and the rest of the week II taught the students music and sport. As Festival Republic and Cradle supports two other schools in the area, Thahan and Ban Bang Muang schools I also had classes there. All students were very keen to take part in both music and sport activities and it is with great enthusiasm they threw themselves into playing with the instruments, footballs and volleyballs on each occasion. For me personally it felt great to be part of this project and it is with great excitement I arrived at work every day.    Below are my weekly updates from Thailand" Ola Nilsson <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog1.pdf">Week 1</a>      <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/Olas%20Blog2.pdf">Week 2</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog3(1).pdf">Week 3</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/m/h/p/OlasBlog4.pdf">Week 4</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog5.pdf">Week 5</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog6.pdf">Week 6</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog7.pdf">Week 7</a>   <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog8.pdf">Week 8</a>     <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog9.pdf">Week 9</a>        <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/OlasBlog10.pdf">Week 10</a>  Two volunteers, Leah and Brad from the UK, joined Ola in his penultimate week in Pakklong. Leah and Brad were part of the Festival Republic volunteer project where two people get the chance to go abroad and work for a week on one of our projects in Thailand or Bosnia. Read their blogs below: <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/d/h/q/Brads Thailand Blog1.pdf">Brad's Blog</a>           <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/j/s/g/ChloesThailandBlog.pdf">Leah's Blog</a> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 21 May 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-05-22T00:00:00 2a6ee257-db60-40f3-b71f-29d755c422be 1000000 Latitude Book Club 2009 Calling all bookworms... We are starting up the Book Club again.  For those of you that don't remember it from last year; together we select a book to read, and in the following fortnight we'll discuss it on these forums. Then towards the end, you can send in your Book Reviews which we will publish on the website, and the best will win literary-based prizes.  This month's vote went to: New vote on the forums at the moment. Results out Friday 1st May. <a href="http://forums.latitudefestival.co.uk/tm.aspx?m=40022">Join in on the forums here...</a> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-04-30T00:00:00 998d19f0-1f69-43a6-9f0f-33acb6551767 1000000 Become a CAT Gain free entrance to this summer's Festivals by joining our Campsite Assistant Teams (CATs) Gain free entrance to this summer's Festivals by joining our Campsite Assistant Teams (CATs)  We are recruiting volunteers for Reading, Leeds, and Latitude Festivals. Typical duties of a volunteer include: • Assisting festival goes with directions. • Helping festival goers carry their belongings and pitch their tents. • Reporting back on any problems – such as litter and facilities. In return for their efforts all volunteers are provided with: • A Crew Pass. • A CAT Pack. • A CAT Uniform. • A Secure Camping area. • Access to the Crew Café, Bar, Toilets, and Hot Showers! All volunteers are welcome to enjoy the festival when they are off-shift. To apply volunteers need to: • Be 18 or over. • Reading/Leeds – be available to arrive at the Festival site by midday (21:00 at the latest) on the Wednesday prior to the weekend of the event. Please note the shifts are allocated on a first come first served basis. • Reading/Leeds – be available for a briefing at either 13:00 or 22:00. • Reading/Leeds – be available to work 3 x 8 hour shifts at any time between 14:00 Wednesday (or midnight Wednesday if arriving for the 21:00 briefing) and 16:00 Monday. • Latitude – be available to arrive at the Festival site by 09:00 at the latest on Thursday 16th July 2009 - you're welcome to arrive from midday on Wednesday 15th. Please note the shifts are allocated on a first come first served basis. • Latitude – be available for a briefing at either 22:00 Wednesday 16th or 11:00 Thursday 16th. • Latitude – be available to work 3 x 8 hour shifts at any time between 13:00 Thursday 16th and 14:00 Monday 21st. • Wear a CAT uniform when on-shift. • Report in every two hours to your area supervisor, or immediately in the case of any problems. • Supply photographic ID on arrival. • Provide a refundable deposit of £200. The festival volunteers play a big part in creating a good atmosphere and helping all to get the most out of their festival. By being there helping people you will help us achieve this! If you're interested in volunteering to be a CAT please visit <a href="http://www.hotboxevents.com/">www.hotboxevents.com</a> Or you can email <a href="mailto:info@hotboxevents.com">info@hotboxevents.com</a> Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-04-30T00:00:00 3fc2dfbf-71c3-42fd-b453-a0c73481e250 1000000 Dashboard Confessional gig cancelled Any refunds required will need to be posted back to Festival Republic The Dashboard Confessional gig that was postponed from last December at the Astoria has now been cancelled. If you bought a ticket from the Astoria Box Office in 2008 and require a refund, please send the ticket back to Festival Republic at the address below and a cheque will be sent back to you. Please include your postal address. c/o Ticketing Department Festival Republic 35 Bow Street Covent Garden London WC2E 7AU Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-04-30T00:00:00 37d44037-843b-4cf1-8348-1ef1d1f656a0 1000000 Reading & Leeds Lock Up Stage announced Billy Talent and Rise Against headline Yet another amazing line up. Join the following bands at their best in the Lock Up Stage. Only four months to go... Reading Friday 28th August / Leeds Sunday 20th August Billy Talent Anti Flag AlexisonFire Bouncing Souls Leftover Crack The Aggrolites Streetlight Manifesto Fake Problems Riverboat Gamblers The Flatliners The Ghost Of A Thousand The Plight Reading Saturday 29th August / Leeds Friday 28th August Rise Against Thursday The Bronx Mad Caddies Rival Schools Set Your Goals Snuff Municipal Waste A Wilhelm Scream Chuck Ragan Polar Bear Club The Computers Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-04-08T00:00:00 5d0407a2-f251-4441-aec3-a27c491c8667 1000000 All Reading & Leeds Weekend Tickets SOLD OUT All weekend tickets for this year’s event are sold out for both sites. This includes all combined ticket and coach packages. In addition, all day tickets for all days have sold out for The Reading Festival. A small amount of day tickets are, at time of writing, available for all days at The Leeds Festival, priced £70 per day. See <a href="http://www.leedsfestival.com">www.leedsfestival.com</a> for details of where to buy these tickets. Melvin Benn, MD of Festival Republic, said of the dual sell out: “This is the 7th year in succession that both events have sold out within 24 hours of going on sale and I am very very pleased of course. The stature of the events have grown and grown each year and this year’s line up only adds to that. However, I must express caution towards all those who will now try to get their hands on tickets in whatever way they can as they do need to be careful of dodgy sites. The only site I can recommend will be viagogo who will at least guarantee anything they sell.” The world famous Reading and Leeds Festival takes place from Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August 2009. Headliners this year are The Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Kings Of Leon. For more details on the bill and further information on the event please visit <a href="http://www.readingfestival.com">www.readingfestival.com</a> / <a href="http://www.leedsfestival.com">www.leedsfestival.com</a>. Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT 2009-04-01T00:00:00 d620a0a8-12aa-46ce-9727-dcf0d0b9b131 1000000 Festivals take anti-tout action Europe’s leading secondary ticketing company signs deal with Festival Republic to become the official secondary ticketing partner for the Reading, Leeds and Latitude Festivals. Europe’s leading secondary ticketing company signs deal with Festival Republic to become the official secondary ticketing partner for the Reading, Leeds and Latitude Festivals.   viagogo (<a href="http://www.viagogo.co.uk">www.viagogo.co.uk</a>), Europe's leading secondary ticketing company, has today signed a deal with Festival Republic to become the official secondary ticketing and ticket exchange partner of the Reading, Leeds and Latitude Festivals. This deal marks the first time major music festivals have signed a partnership of this kind. viagogo is not a primary ticket seller but allows fans to buy and sell tickets in a secure environment. viagogo guarantees the transaction and delivery of tickets so fans who buy will actually get their tickets, and fans who sell will actually get paid. viagogo will not sell a ticket it doesn’t have. viagogo will also have a physical pick-up point at Leeds and Latitude festival sites and a pick up point in Reading town centre to allow fans to collect their tickets at or very close to the event. Since 2006, viagogo has provided the official ticket resale service for top football clubs such as Manchester United, and Chelsea FC. The Manchester United and Chelsea FC ticket exchanges allow season ticket holders to sell their spare tickets to other fans in a safe and secure environment. This new deal follows viagogo’s partnerships with Madonna and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and further cements viagogo as Europe’s market leading secondary ticketing company. Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic said: “There were some disastrous ticketing issues last year leaving many fans disappointed after ‘buying’ non-existent resale tickets. A number of rogue ticketing websites sprung up offering fans tickets to our festivals that they did not posses. We have therefore agreed to work with viagogo as the recommended and only official ticket exchange for the Reading, Leeds, and Latitude festivals. If fans use other ticket exchanges or buy from unauthorised agents they risk being defrauded and not getting their festival tickets.” Eric Baker, CEO of viagogo said: “viagogo is thrilled to have been chosen as the official ticket exchange for 2009’s Reading, Leeds and Latitude festivals. It is an honour to be working with these events, which are among the premiere music festivals in all the world.” Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:15:00 GMT 2009-03-30T10:15:00 8b9a5d28-d5b0-4e7b-bd45-8e0a3b66d0ba 1000000 Latitude Festival Launches With 50% more tickets than last year being sold on the first day. Pet Shop Boys (Fri), Grace Jones (Sat),and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (Sun) are headlining the festival. There are a huge number of arts arenas acts confirmed already! <a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/lineup">Go here to check them out</a> The following HMV stores will sell tickets from Tuesday 24th March at 9am: Cambridge, Colchester, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Lincoln, Luton, Milton Keynes,  Peterborough, Norwich Chapelfield, Norwich Gentleman's. You can buy tickets at face value from the following places: Norwich Arts Centre, The Theatre Royal (Bury St Edmunds), Foxtail Lily, Lowestoft Tourist Information Centre, Colchester Arts Centre Online/Phones: <a href="http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/">www.latitudefestival.co.uk</a> <a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/">www.festivalrepublic.com</a> <a href="http://seetickets.com/see/event.asp?artist=LATITUDE&orderby=date&filler1=see&filler3=id1latitude">SEE Tickets.com </a><a href="http://www.ticketweb.com/">Ticketweb</a> <a href="http://www.ticketline.co.uk/">Ticketline</a> <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/">Ticketmaster</a> <a href="http://www.gigantic.com/">Gigantic</a> <a href="http://www.stargreen.com/">Stargreen</a> <a href="http://lastminute.com/">Lastminute.com</a> <a href="http://www.norwichartscentre.co.uk/">Norwich Arts Centre</a> 01603 660352 Lowestoft Tourist Information Centre 01502 533600         <a href="http://www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk/">The Theatre Royal</a> (Bury St Edmunds) 01284 769505 Foxtail Lily 59 High Street, Southwold <a href="http://www.ipswichregent.com/">Ipswich Regent Theatre</a> 01473 433 100 <a href="http://www.ipswichregent.com/">Ipswich Corn Exchange</a> 01473 433 100 <a href="http://www.colchesterartscentre.com/">Colchester Arts Centre</a> 01206 500900 <a href="http://www.ueastudent.com/">Union of UEA Students</a> <a href="http://www.ticketqueen.com/">Ticket Queen</a> – <a href="http://www.ticketqueen.com/">www.ticketqueen.com</a> Ticket Queen Outlets – In person only: TQ Tickets Ltd, Flairsways Travel, Music Lovers, West Norfolk Travel, The Bus Station, Sounds Music, Galaxy Travel, Better Leisure, Beestons Hadleigh Ticketmaster outlets – in person only Greenwich Tourist Information, Camden Tourist Information, Wembley Arena Box Office, Bury St Edmunds Tourist Information, Harwich Tourist Information, Hastings Tourist Information, Luton Tourist Info Centre, Oxford Carling Academy, Southampton Guildhall, Southend-on-Sea Tourist Info Centre, Stowmarket Tourist Info Centre, Witham Visitor Information Centre, Taunton Heart of Somerset Info Centre, Birmingham Ticket Shop, Gloucester Tourist Info Centre, Leicester Tourist Info Centre, Nottingham City Information Centre, Peterborough Tourist Info Centre, Ripley Tourist Info Centre, Tamworth Tourist Info Centre, Carlisle Tourist Info Centre, Cleethorpes Tourist Info Centre, Darlington Tourist Info Centre, Harrogate Tourist Info Centre, Knaresborough Pear, Leeds Tourist Info Centre, Newcastle Carling Academy, Stockton Tourist Info Centre, Wakefield Tourist Info Centre, Accrington Tourist Info Centre, Altrincham Tourist Info Centre, Birkenhead GB Tours, Blackpool Tourist Info Centre, Blackpool Theatre Box Office, Bolton Albert Hall Box Office, Bury Tourist Info Centre, Cardiff Ticketline UK Ltd, Manchester Palace Theatre, Manchester Visitor Info Centre, Old Trafford Trafford Direct, Salford Tourist Info Centre, Southport Tourist Info Centre, St. Helens Tourist Info Centre, Swansea Derricks Music, Tameside Tourist Info Centre, Urmston Urmston Library, Warrington Parr Hall, Wigan Tourist Info Centre, Aberdeen Visitor Info Centre, Dundee VisitScotland, Dundee Groucho’s, Dunfermline VisitScotland, Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh VisitScotland, Edinburgh VisitScotland Edinburgh International Airport, Greenock Rhythmic, Glasgow ABC, Glasgow VisitScotland, Glasgow Buchanan Galleries, Kirkcaldy VisitScotland, Perth Concorde, St Andrews VisitScotland  Sweden Stockholm Box Office AB Palmhuset Norrmalmstorg Norway Oslo Ticket Service Denmark Copenhagen ARTE Udland Kompagnistraede 20A Turkey Istanbul Biletix Call Centre – no personal callers Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-03-24T00:00:00 25147c0c-06bb-4b92-88b3-5fe794270463 1000000 Heavenly Planet Festival Cancelled The new festival planned for July 2009 has been cancelled due to the effect of the current economic climate. Reading Borough Council and Festival Republic announce that the new Heavenly Planet Festival planned for July 2009 has been cancelled due to the effect of the current economic climate.  Last month Festival Republic, Thomas Brooman and Reading Borough Council - joint organisers of the new festival - announced that entry to the festival would be free in its first year, with costs covered equally by the three partners. However the worsening economic climate has meant that one of the partners Thomas Brooman has been unable to commit to funding the event on the basis that had been agreed and has pulled out. As a result the two remaining partners, Reading Borough Council and Festival Republic, have reluctantly agreed to cancel the festival. Quote from Melvin Benn of Festival Republic:  “It is with regret that we make this announcement to cancel our new festival Heavenly Planet which was due to take place in Reading in July. The worsening economic crisis and circumstances beyond our control have been major factors in the final decision.” Quote from Graeme Hoskin, Lead Councillor for Culture & Sport, Reading Borough Council: "People everywhere are tightening their belts and making savings and we are no different. Through no fault of his own, Thomas was no longer able to make the equal financial commitment necessary. Whilst this is unfortunate, as a Council we do not feel we can commit any more public money to cover the additional costs that are now needed.” Whilst Reading Borough Council and Festival Republic are not in a position to make any financial commitment to holding an event next year, both organisers have now agreed to monitor the recession and any economic recovery with a view to planning for possible festivals in future years. Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:00 GMT 2009-03-17T09:00:00 fba54c40-27d8-4e4e-a4fc-f1175a84c668 1000000 Festival Republic Invests in Electric Picnic After five years the festival has become one of the most heralded around the world receiving critical acclaim from music fans and media alike. The UK's leading festival & event promoter Festival Republic is investing in the Electric Picnic Music & Arts Festival in what will be a fresh new chapter in the festival’s evolution. After five years the festival has become one of the most heralded around the world receiving critical acclaim from music fans and media alike. It is now a three day multi staged family event with some of the biggest names in music performing as well as featuring a large spoken word area, an arts & crafts field, a cookery stage and a designated family campsite and kids area.  Festival Republic, which is co-owned by Live Nation & Gaiety Investments, has a festival portfolio which includes the iconic Glastonbury as well as the Latitude festival and Reading & Leeds festivals in the UK. “I have been a friend of John Reynolds for a long, long time and have been a fan of the Electric Picnic Festival since its inception; it is Ireland’s version of Glastonbury as far as I am concerned and has been a great inspiration to Latitude too. I am very excited about partnering with John and his team to become part of it" said Melvin Benn, Managing Director of Festival Republic.  Part of this new deal sees the buying out of Aiken Promotion’s interest in the festival.  With regards to the new collaborators John Reynolds says: “I look forward to the new partnership with Melvin Benn and his team. Melvin and I have been friends for many years and I really look up to him as festival promoter.” The Electric Picnic Music & Arts Festival will take place as usual in Stradbally on 4th, 5th & 6th of September. This year’s lineup will be announced mid March which is when tickets will also go on sale. For more information check <a href="http://www.electricpicnic.ie">www.electricpicnic.ie</a> <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/g/m/u/ELECTRIC_PICNIC.pdf">Click here to read the press release</a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT 2009-03-17T07:00:00 975c5d04-88d3-4080-92a0-3c4d40c794e1 1000000 Information for Disabled Customers at our Festivals Check out the 2-for-1 scheme for 2009 <align></align><a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/u/m/g/2009_Guide_for_Disabled_Customers.pdf">Click here to read Reading & Leeds information</a> Please note application forms for Reading and Leeds must be received at our office by Friday 24th July 2009. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/u/m/g/2009_Guide_for_Disabled_Customers_Latitude.pdf">Click here to read Latitude information</a> Application forms for Latitude must be received at our office by Friday 19th June 2009. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/u/m/g/DISAB_APP 09.xls">Click here for the application form</a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-03-17T00:00:00 0e88f662-a2f1-4a67-bf57-6f87c8b4550d 1000000 Latitude Festival Tickets On sale Monday 23rd March at 7pm Tickets for the fourth edition will go on sale Monday 23rd March at 7pm. There are a number of authorised agents and websites that will be selling them <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/w/y/f/AuthorisedTicketAgents_2009.pdf">CLICK HERE TO SEE AUTHORISED LIST</a> More details coming soon. We recommend you do not buy from unauthorised agents. Please <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/w/y/f/Info_Unauthorised_TicketAgentsAndTicketTouting.pdf">read this PDF</a> with information about how to protect yourself when you are buying festival tickets Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-02-26T00:00:00 e79f8ee8-7f90-4deb-bb2f-189ca8561d44 1000000 Festival Republic adds Hove Festival to its portfolio The Norwegian Festival has been added to our festival portfolio. Norway’s Hove Festival is the first festival outside of Britain to join us, Festival Republic, the organisers behind some of the major festivals in the UK, including Reading/Leeds Festival, Latitude and Glastonbury.  Situated on an island outside the southern town of Arendal, the Hove Festival has in the two years since its formation grown to become the largest music festival in the country. It has also managed to raise tremendous acclaim from audience and artists alike. Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn says they are very pleased to take part in further developing the Hove experience. With Festival Republic now being the main owner and driving force behind the festival, he believes Hove has the potential to become one of the leading musical events in Northern Europe: We are very fond of the whole attitude behind the Hove Festival, in particular its environmental concerns and it’s booking profile. The surroundings are spectacular and gave us the right feeling straight away, he says.  Festival Republic regards Hove as a long term investment, and we are aware of its unique status among Norwegian and even European festivals in general. We want this festival to be something more than just your ordinary music festival, says Benn. Hove prides itself in being the first carbon neutral festival in Scandinavia, and takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously. Surrounded by deep forest and sea, the festival is a grand nature experience in itself, and an excellent opportunity for camping and leisure activities as well as taking in music, poetry, films, art and food. Former headliners at Hove include, among others, Jay Z, Beck, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Kaiser Chiefs, Queens of The Stone Age, Slayer, The Raconteurs, and My Chemical Romance, but an important task for the festival has also been to introduce smaller, less known acts to a wider audience. This years festival will take place between the 22nd and 25th of June. <a href="http://www.hovefestival.com">Go to Hove's website</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Hove-Festival-Norway/79977991278?ref=ts">Become a fan of Hove on Facebook</a> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-02-12T00:00:00 41f22175-4a3b-462f-8d69-4d5d8951a068 1000000 No tickets for Reading will be onsale at the Festival NO WEEKEND OR DAY TICKETS for the Reading festivals will be sold at the festival again. NO WEEKEND OR DAY TICKETS for the Reading festivals will be sold at the festival again. There will be no box office of any kind. All tickets will be sent out to customers. If you are an overseas customer that has purchased tickets from an OFFICIAL ticket agent (<a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/m/f/k/2009UnauthorisedTicketAgentsandTicketTouting.pdf">see list here</a>), your tickets will be at The Hexagon in Reading. If you do not have tickets when approaching the gates you will be sent away. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT 2009-01-26T00:00:00 aa12ab1c-a98d-47c2-a9d6-226e361f2794 1000000 Cradle and Festival Republic visit Thailand Festival Republic set off for Thailand to build a new school Pakklong is a small school in the Kapong District of Thailand, north of Phuket. Currently there are 110 children between the ages of 3 to 12 years old attending the school. There are only five teachers.  The school caters for a region of approximately 177 families. Over 80% work in the local rubber plantations and fruit farms. They earn roughly 5,000. - bht/month which is the equivalent of just over £19.00 a week. If the children of the Kapong District are to develop and thrive academically they will need financial support and it is crucial that they receive funding for a new building, new classrooms and basic schoolbooks.  The Pakklong school is in a state of utter disrepair. It has only one building, which is over 40 years old and dilapidated.  The lack of space affects both the quality of the lessons and the students’ ability to work. Children who differ in age and who are at various stages of learning are being taught in the same classroom – effectively hindering any chances of academic progress and individual development. Also, as the school caters for a variety of age groups, younger children are forced to share washing facilities with older students which means that they have difficulties reaching the taps and other facilities. The school’s principle reported this to Thai Authorities and Education Councils on a number of occasions but he has yet to receive even an acknowledgment of their situation.  <a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/charity">Click here for more information about the trip</a> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT 2009-01-12T14:00:00 4e996470-8773-4c6a-8105-7999d4db1783 1000000 Announcement ~ The Astoria Iconic music venue is set to close on the 15th January It is with great sadness we announce that one of London’s most iconic venues will be closing its doors before the end of the month. The Astoria is London’s best known music venue and is due to be demolished to make way for a Crossrail project that will install a new train line linking the east and west of the capital. On top of daily shows from the biggest current bands on the circuit, the Astoria has in the past played host to the Rolling Stones, Prince, U2, Foo Fighters, Eminem, David Bowie, Nirvana, Radiohead, Alice Cooper, Black Crowes, and Black Sabbath amongst many other world-class acts. The Astoria 2 will also be going as part of the Crossrail project. Sitting in the underbelly of the Astoria with a capacity of 1000, it too has a reputation for playing host to some of the freshest and most exciting bands on the scene. With its fair share of prestigious shows, the Astoria 2 holds claim to a similarly stellar rock’n’roll heritage, with artists such as Iggy Pop, Yoko Ono, Primal Scream, Moby and Metallica, forming part of its history. Regional Manager, Ivor Wilkins, who has overseen all shows at both the Astoria and Astoria 2 comments; “Having witnessed over 20 years of incredible music, the loss of such a fantastic venue with its electric atmosphere that few others possess is a terrible shame, and one, unfortunately, we had no control over. Its history of live music will remain in our hearts; beer-soaked and memory-stained. It is the end of an era. “ If you have purchased tickets for any event cancelled as a result of the closure of the Astoria & Astoria 2 please refer to your point of purchase for a refund. If you purchased direct from the venue Box Office please return your tickets by post to The Ticketing Department,Festival Republic,35 Bow Street,Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7AU If you require any further assistance or information regarding refunds or information on events that have changed venues as a result of the closure please call our Information Line on  020 7009 3001. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:00:00 GMT 2009-01-05T18:00:00 5d3982a0-7cec-4b47-99eb-26ebf5bec3f9 1000000 Arrests made over ticket company Five people have been arrested in London in connection with a company selling festival tickets. Hundreds of people missed out on V Festival tickets and five people have been arrested in London in connection with a company selling festival tickets which went into liquidation in August. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is also launching an investigation into Xclusive Tickets, and is making a direct appeal for the public's help. They would like people who bought tickets from the site but did not receive them to get in touch. The five people were questioned and later released on unconditional bail. Parent company Xclusive Leisure and Hospitality Limited is registered to an address in Southwark, south London. 'Very valuable' SFO director Richard Alderman told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme it was appealing for some 4,000 people who failed to receive 18,000 tickets for events, including festivals, to make contact. More than 2,500 people who purchased Reading, Leeds and V Festival tickets from the company were affected. People who bought tickets for the Beijing Olympics also missed out. "We've put a simple form on our website which will enable people to put details of the tickets they wanted and the loss they suffered," he said. Mr Alderman added that the public's help would enable his team establish the problem's "full extent" and make a "very valuable" contribution to their fraud probe. You and Yours reporter Shari Vahl said the move was very unusual and the SFO's first direct appeal for public information in an investigation. Taken from <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7750358.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7750358.stm</a> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-11-28T00:00:00 f601a43e-fda5-4f26-a538-07d61df22299 1000000 WARNING: Beware of unauthorised ticket agencies Please read our document on unauthorised ticket websites before you part with your hard-earned cash. A number of people have contacted us to enquire about the website <a href="http://www.bookmetickets.com/">www.bookmetickets.com</a> and whether that site will have any official tickets for Festival Republic events (Reading & Leeds festivals, Latitude festival) Please note that BOOKMETICKETS.com are NOT AUTHORISED by us to sell our event tickets, we have not supplied them with any official tickets to sell and we have no relationship with them at all. Therefore we would not advise buying tickets for our events from them. To protect yourself, please read further information about touts <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido//publishing/news/n/l/j/2008%20Unauthorised%20Ticket%20Agents%20and%20Ticket%20Touting.pdf">here</a> We have a limited number of AUTHORISED agent’s websites we sell our festival tickets through, these are listed <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido//publishing/news/n/l/j/2008%20Unauthorised%20Ticket%20Agents%20and%20Ticket%20Touting.pdf">here</a> We are currently looking into companies selling 'touted' tickets and we are doing what we can to stop fraudulent activity. Festival Republic does not condone buying from tout sites and will never knowingly supply touts with tickets. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/m/f/k/2009UnauthorisedTicketAgentsandTicketTouting.pdf">Full Festival Republic PDF information on Unauthorised Ticket Agents</a> Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-11-18T00:00:00 e891a34f-0730-4a05-a617-83442efc85cf 1000000 Latitude wins The Stage Award at the TMAs Latitude won The Stage Award for special achievement in regional theatre at the TMA awards. This is a massive achievement for any theatre company and to have a festival up there in the running, would previously have been unheard of!  This places the theatre programme at Latitude up there with the great and the good of the theatre and performing arts world. The TMA Theatre and Management Awards celebrate the very best in British theatre, opera and dance. These unique awards recognise the achievements of artists and companies based throughout the United Kingdom. The awards champion the excellence and diversity of artistic activity and the high standard of professional, specialist work which contributes to and supports the success of the performing arts. The Theatre Awards honour individual creative excellence and collaborative artistic effort in performance and production and applaud the outstanding work seen in regional theatres each year: work which contributes so much to the vibrant cultural life of theatre. Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT 2008-10-28T00:00:00 cdd7ba77-6ee9-449c-91b3-e6d741ae869b 1000000 H<a href="http://www.heavenlyplanetfestival.co.uk/">eavenly Planet</a> Reading's New Festival A Match Made In Heaven Reading's reputation as one of the south-east's biggest and most successful cultural hubs received a huge boost today with the news that the town will play host to an exciting new music festival from 2009. The`<a href="http://www.heavenlyplanetfestival.co.uk/">Heavenly Planet</a>' festival is a two day music festival aimed at both families and younger festival goers which will take place annually on the same site as the Reading Rock Festival. This initiative is the result of a partnership between Reading Borough Council (RBC) and Heavenly Planet UK Festivals - a company jointly owned by rock festival organisers Festival Republic, and Thomas Brooman CBE, previously Artistic Director of WOMAD. The three-way tie-up will tap into the years of knowledge and experience accumulated by Melvin Benn of Festival Republic, Thomas Brooman and the Borough Council in running highly successful music events in Reading and aims to build upon RBC's commitment to enhance further the cultural life of the town. Subject to the proposal being approved at a meeting of the Council's Cabinet on September 29, the first-ever Heavenly Planet Festival is currently scheduled for Friday July 10 and Saturday July 11 2009. The aim is for 15,000 people to attend in year one, although it is hoped this figure will grow significantly as the event becomes more established. Graeme Hoskin, Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport at Reading Borough Council, said: "We're extremely excited to be announcing this new summer festival. When WOMAD left there was real disappointment in Reading and many people were telling us they hoped we could introduce a new family friendly, internationalist festival. There has been a huge amount of work behind the scenes and we have faced some big challenges, but I believe 'Heavenly Planet' fits that bill. We're particularly delighted to be entering into a partnership with Thomas Brooman and Melvin Benn with their huge experience and knowledge of festivals and international music and culture". Melvin Benn of Festival Republic said: "For two years now the council and I have been discussing the idea of a new, innovative, diverse and outward-looking festival. But it was only when I ran the idea by Thomas and established that it was possible to bring his idea's into the structure as Artistic Director and joint shareholder, it became a must. Thomas brings everything we were looking for to the table and the partnership is now complete. It will make for a very exciting future - a heavenly future I hope!" Thomas Brooman said: "This festival, with its concepts of music, optimism and positivity, will create an event entirely new and unique for Reading. It is a privilege to be able to work together with Melvin and Reading Borough Council on the Heavenly Planet project and we are wholly committed to a long-term and successful future for the festival in the town. Viva Reading!" The WOMAD festival was a well-recognised and established festival that had a relationship with Reading, growing from 5,000 people attending in 1990 to more than 40,000 in 2006. WOMAD left in 2006 to establish a new home in Wiltshire but there has been a strong desire by Reading Borough Council to find a festival that would provide a complement to the current cultural offering in Reading. The intention of the Heavenly Planet title is to evoke ideas of optimism, global awareness and an open-minded enthusiasm for music, culture and society. While planning for the festival is still at an early stage, the current thinking is that two big top tents will be the focal point for the event, accommodating two stages of equal scale. It is hoped that the close involvement of Thomas Brooman - a well known figure in the genre of world music - will help to attract major artists to the event but the aim is also for up-and-coming artists from the Reading area to be given a major platform to showcase their talents.  Camping will be available as well as a food court concept, celebrating food from around the world. Discussions are also underway about Rivermead Leisure Centre being used as a possible indoor venue for night and day-time events, offering a reliable venue in case of bad weather. And while Heavenly Planet is currently a two-day event, there is the possibility of offering some sort of festival activity on the Sunday as well. The proposal for a <a href="http://www.heavenlyplanetfestival.co.uk/">Heavenly Planet</a> Festival will go before a meeting of Reading Borough Council's Cabinet on Monday September 29 for approval. Full agenda papers can be found at <a href="http://www.reading.gov.uk">www.reading.gov.uk</a> Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:00:00 GMT 2008-09-19T09:00:00 8e193507-97d8-4949-91ed-c531acde2f46 1000000 Latitude 2009 The pre-sale tickets have now sold out. Presale weekend tickets for 16th, 17,th, 18th, & 19th July 2009 have now sold out. More on sale next year. - £130 Weekend - £130 Family* - £10 Campervans and Caravans - standard - £10 Campervans and Caravans - family - £15 Lockers - FREE Child tickets, but you must indicate the number of children attending when booking  IMPORTANT Please note: Groups or indiviuals arriving without children will need to purchase a standard ticket and will not be able to enter the Family Campsite. In addition, you will be unable to pitch a tent in advance of your family's arrival. PLEASE BE AWARE, ANYONE SELLING TICKETS NOW IS NOT AN AUTHORISED TICKET AGENT AND THE TICKET MAY NOT EVEN EXIST. <a href="http://2008.latitudefestival.co.uk/news/story.aspx?aid=ec3c7c3b-0445-456d-8b4d-32dc21d8524a">Read all about our authorised agents here</a> Photo credit: Jon Appleyard Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-09-01T00:00:00 e9b759b2-86a2-430a-8bde-114b4d68d4c8 1000000 Trees For Cities Improving local communities with trees. Who are Trees For Cities? <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/">Trees for Cities</a> is an independent charity working to improve the environment in urban areas by involving local people in community tree planting, training and landscaping projects. They manage projects across London, in Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Reading as well as internationally in Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Ica, Peru. All of their community greening projects are supported by extensive community consultation and involvement programmes that incorporate local residents, schools and community groups.  As well as educating local people about our projects, in London they also run a series of horticulture, arboriculture and woodland management courses specialising in developing and up-skilling the long-term unemployed.      <img height="200" alt="" width="148" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/z/e/Image/Tfcurban2.jpg" />  <img height="200" alt="" width="148" src="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/e/z/e/Image/treesoflife.jpg" /> Festival Republic and Trees for Cities Festival Republic have been supporting <a href="http://www.treesforcities.org/">Trees for Cities’</a> projects in the UK and further afield since 2006. Festival Republic fund planting projects in Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester, as well supporting our greening activities abroad, including Nairobi in Kenya and Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, where young people are employed to care for the trees they plant and fruit from the trees is sold to generate income for the project. Thanks for your support! Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 28 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-29T00:00:00 e1d44d86-c3b4-4c6e-b1d4-8dc681ab68bf 1000000 Warning - Festival Ticket Scam Authorised Ticket Agents, See Tickets, do not cold call to sell tickets. WARNING - We have had reports of people being called by someone claiming to be from See Tickets and offering to sell them Reading Festival tickets. This is a scam. See Tickets do not cold call to sell tickets. The number being used is from a mobile phone. Once the card details are taken the charge appears on the customer's statement as being debited to an account in Budapest - no connection at all to See Tickets.   If you get a call of this nature please report it to Reading Trading Standards Office. "See Tickets the official provider of ticketing services to the Reading and Leeds festivals are aware of a few cases where members of the public have been contacted by persons to claiming to work for See. See do not contact  any customer unless firstly they have made a fully confirmed booking and then only, if there is a problem that needs customer input. Orders made via See will be confirmed by way of an email from a "@seetickets.com" address and the charge will appear on the credit or debit card statement as TICKETS 0871 220 0260. If you are in doubt at any time as to the validity of your order you may track the order at <a href="http://www.seetickets.com/tracker">www.seetickets.com/tracker</a> or check your bank statement." Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 19 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-20T00:00:00 5aa4f631-8404-47f3-9040-fcbc7bd608a5 1000000 Cradle & Festival Republic visit Bosnia and Herzegovina We are committed to finding new ways to introduce our audiences to Cradle. I’m Rhiannon and I have attended Leeds festival for the past two years (I lived abroad before that).  I am studying my MA in Music Management and Promotion and am passionate about all aspects of Music.  I love travelling and enjoy being involved in charity projects so when I was on the Festival Republic website last year, doing research for a module, I came across the details for the Cradle Project and thought I’ve got to apply for that, several months later here is my diary of the trip………. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/h/w/k/RhiannonBosniaBlog.pdf">Click to read</a> Hi my name is Mark and I’m a 22yr old Trainee producer for a Video production company. One of my passions is going to gigs and the Reading Festival in particular. I’ve been every year since 2003 it gets better every year. When I randomly read on the forums that there was a chance of doing some charity work on behalf of Festival Republic for Cradle, I jumped at the opportunity. I have always been interested in doing something like that, but I never thought in a million years I would ever get chosen. A couple of months later and here I am, on my way to Bosnia. <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/k/h/l/Mostar Trip 2008.pdf">Click to read</a> <a href="http://www.cradle.ie/taxonomy/term/4">Cradle's Website</a> http://www.cradle.ie/taxonomy/term/4 Jennifer Roberts General Sun, 18 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT 2008-05-19T00:00:00 1ef430bd-a920-4205-8a8c-ebf6415e6153 1000000 Cotton Workers in southern India: standing up for their rights Oxfam have encouraged cotton farmers to take up organic farming. Through Oxfam, Glastonbury Festival employ more than 1700 volunteer stewards at each festival. The cost of employing the Oxfam stewards is given to Oxfam as a donation; on top of this Oxfam is one of the three main charities that benefit from ticket sales profit. After the 2007 festival Melvin Benn, Director of Glastonbury Festival and Festival Republic approached Oxfam regarding donating £50,000 to a specific project in India. The Project that was chosen was helping to support cotton workers in southern India. In April 2008 Melvin asked Festival Republic employee Julie Syer who is employed as Licence Co-ordinator at Glastonbury, to visit the farming and handloom projects in the Warangal and Nalgonda Districts of southern India to experience the projects first hand. The projects were set up to help improve incomes, working conditions and quality of life for people working across the cotton industry, from encouraging the farming communities to work with organic farming techniques, to helping handloom weavers secure new markets and helping factory workers form co-operatives to speak up for their rights and challenge their appalling working conditions.  <a href="http://media.livenation.co.uk/fido/publishing/news/j/r/e/Cotton workers in southern India.pdf">Click here to read the project diary from Julie Syer</a> Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:15:00 GMT 2008-04-28T04:15:00 83862b57-64dd-4ee8-8254-6c360a68c9e0 1000000 ActionAid at Reading Festival Take action against HIV, unfair trade, corporate abuse & hunger. ActionAid doesn’t just hand out aid; they help poor people take control of their lives and end their own poverty for good. People living in poverty don’t want our guilt, they want justice. Festival Republic love they way Action Aid work, and are proud to support them, and since 2002 thousands of people at Reading Festival have been given the opportunity to say “bollocks to poverty!” and take action against HIV, unfair trade, corporate abuse and hunger. 2008 marks their 7th year of providing the masses with a relaxing hangout, complete with comfy seating, giant games like jenga and connect four, table football and ping pong, DJ’s until 3am and of course lots of lovely free Bollocks to Poverty stickers, badges and tattoos! But most importantly, the ActionAid tent gives festival goers the opportunity to support people fighting their way out of poverty. To find out more about ActionAid and how you can say Bollocks to Poverty visit: <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/bollocks">www.actionaid.org.uk/bollocks</a> Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:45:00 GMT 2008-04-24T06:45:00 8f28e2e2-e946-4038-938c-962bcceef584 1000000 Festival Republic & Sport Relief Chappers and Dave ran a mile at 33 UK football grounds and raised £215,035. Dynamic duo Chappers and Dave embarked on an epic attempt to run one mile at every English and Scottish Premier League ground. Kicking off on March 7th, the pair had just a week to complete the task and with no idea of where they were going to be sent each day and Chris Moyles throwing in a few extra challenges en route, it was no mean feat.  Festival Republic donated £10,000 to Sport Relief which helped them reach a staggering fundraising total of £215,035 which will help transform the lives of vulnerable people both at home in the UK and in the world's poorest countries. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chrismoyles/2008/03/moyles_finishes_a_5_mile_run_w.shtml Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:45:00 GMT 2008-04-18T01:45:00 f4610cfd-92af-4d67-9174-c15062d315dc 1000000 Working towards a greener festival Latitude's Theatre Arena will be the world's first fuel-cell powered stage. The ground breaking Latitude Festival returns to the sunrise coast in Suffolk for its incredible third year. Nestled in the historic and beautiful surroundings of Henham Park Estate, Southwold, and taking place on 17th – 20th July, organisers Festival Republic are promising another truly spectacular event. Teaming up with London’s Arcola Theatre, Latitude are working towards a greener festival. With environmental issues at its core, Latitude are pleased to announce that this year’s Theatre Arena will be the worlds first fuel cell powered festival stage. Arcola will be providing state of the art low energy LED lighting and a Hydrogen Fuel Cell to power the stage. The fuel cell operates almost silently and will produce nothing but electricity and clean water. This ground-breaking advancement in technology will bring down the carbon footprint of the festival and lessen the event’s impact on its immediate surroundings and the world’s climate as a whole. The Arcola Theatre is a converted factory in East London and one of the UK’s leading independent venues.  This partnership with Latitude is part of Arcola Theatre’s extensive range of sustainability activities, collectively referred to as the Arcola Energy project which in partnership with the Greening London Theatre Initiative is driving the eco-cultural frontier. Over the weekend Theatre Arena at Latitude is a buzzing hotbed of creativity and inspiration, hosting a wealth of bespoke productions and performances exclusive to the festival. Some of the biggest names in contemporary, physical, classical, performance and local theatre, including The Royal Court, the Bush Theatre, nabokov, and Paines Plough, are coming to the Theatre Arena. It really has something for everyone; provoking thought, emotions, laughs and entertainment all weekend long. As well as powering the arena The Arcola Theatre will present their series of short but perfectly formed writer-led plays The Miniaturists. Each piece is no longer than 15 minutes, and the dizzying mix makes every event as various and unpredictable as life itself.  Latitude and Arcola will be supported by the London Hydrogen Partnership, Thomas Engineering & ETC. Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:30:00 GMT 2008-04-09T00:30:00 8fd79330-8696-46ab-b6c7-c92174e53ac1 1000000 Reading & Leeds Win Best Live Event Thanks for voting! The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 took place last night (February 28) at the IndigO2 venue in London, where a variety of music stars and industry folk picked up awards for their achievements over the past year. The Reading & Leeds Festivals picked up the award for Best Live Event. Thanks to all those that voted! Jennifer Roberts General Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:30:00 GMT 2008-02-29T08:30:00 cd922156-e06d-4a44-9896-34bf73337ff8 1000000 Festival Manifesto - Read all about it... Less corporate, more eco-friendly, improved transport..... Our Festival Director, Melvin Benn, spoke to The Music Week programme on BBC 6Music, about their Festival Manifesto that had been put together with ideas from the fans - to see the Ten-point plan, click <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/music_week/festival_manifesto.shtml">here</a> Hear what he had to say in the podcast <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/musicweek/">here</a> And pay close attention to the news about the Reading & Leeds headliners....there'll be more of where that came from in the coming weeks -  so make sure you've signed up to the <a href="http://www.festivalrepublic.com/register">newsletters</a> Happy listening! Jennifer Roberts General Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:00:00 GMT 2008-01-23T06:00:00 68beb2bc-503b-437e-9883-936e404e4260 1000000 Latitude Festival wins 'Fan-Friendly Award' We won!!! We are very proud to tell you that we won the 'Fan-Friendly Award' at the Festival Awards. We take pride in making sure you have the greatest experience at our festival and we are so glad that you think we do! Thanks to everyone that voted. Jennifer Roberts General Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:00:00 GMT 2007-11-06T22:00:00 139e8c82-dec0-469b-adc1-378287028633 1000000 Music, Mud and Mayhem: The Official History Available online or email: orders@orcabookservices.co.uk A major festival since its inception, Reading is the music fans' favourite and continues to draw the biggest and best in rock from all over the world. This lavishly-illustrated official history covers every event from 1971 to 2007, and will be launched at this year's festival with the support and collaboration of the Festival's promoters, Festival Republic. The bands that have appeared at Reading over the last 36 years are a virtual Who's Who of festival rock, including such diverse acts as: AC/DC, Arthur Brown, Bjork, Black Sabbath, The Buzzcocks, The Chemical Brothers, Eminem, The Faces, Foo Fighters, Hawkwind, Iggy Pop, Iron Maiden, The Libertines, Lou Reed, Manfred Mann, Manic Street Preachers, Marilyn Manson, Motorhead, Neil Young, Nick Cave, Oasis, P.J. Harvey, Paul Weller, Peter Gabriel, The Prodigy, Public Enemy, Radiohead and Status Quo. Many of the acts who have appeared over the years have chosen to contribute their memories of the festival to this book, giving it a unique inside perspective. But Ian Carroll's account of the festival is much more than a roll-call of bands and artists. It is also the story of the festival itself, its complex relationship with the media, and with local government, business and the police.  Above all, this is the story of the fans and their annual pilgrimage to the festival site by the Thames. Rain or shine, heatwave or mudslide, they make the Reading Festival what it is, and ensure that its special atmosphere will continue for many years to come. Online orders: <a href="mailto:orders@orcabookservices.co.uk">orders@orcabookservices.co.uk</a> The book is also available online at <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reading-Festival-Music-Mud-Mayhem/dp/1905287437/ref=sr_1_8/026-3597701-0520448?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194472389&sr=1-8">Amazon</a>, W H Smith, Virgin, Play.com, HMV, Waterstones and available in stores nationwide. Jennifer Roberts General Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:00:00 GMT 2007-11-05T14:00:00 69de413c-3ca8-43e9-8316-082fb629a26e 1000000 Festival Republic is born New name, new website, new offices. We are delighted to announce our new Festival Republic name. As promoters of the best festivals in the world we are extremely proud to list Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals, the critically applauded new kid on the block - Latitude, our involvement in Glastonbury not to mention our annual London festivals including Rise, St Patricks Day, Fleadh. As part of our new focus we have sold the Borderline, Jazz Cafe, The Garage, The Old Fiddler, G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late Club to Mama Group. But have retained ownership of the much celebrated Astoria with the newly remained Mean Fiddler, The Astoria 2 We will continue to bring to you the greatest festivals on the planet and are looking forward to many exciting new projects on the horizon. Watch this website. Jennifer Roberts General Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:15:00 GMT 2007-10-18T01:15:00 62b288e2-7c55-45af-9633-e881e264d6dc 1000000