Hyde Park 'eyesore' to be cleared up by Live Nation

Parts of Hyde Park in London remain an 'eyesore' after the series of outdoor concerts this summer - with a large area still covered by 8,000 cubic metres of wood chip, brought in by promoters Live Nation do deal with the excessively wet British summer. Only one event was cancelled, the now rescheduled Hit Factory Live event, and concerts by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna and Blur all went ahead along with over ten other events based around the London 2012 Olympics. 

Whilst Live Nation will begin restoring the park in the spring, within a time frame agreed with the Royal Parks, the Times called the Park a 'royal mudbath' and said the site was a 'national disgrace' and was now a 'giant wasteland of mud, puddles and woodchips that was once the capital's grandest sward of grass', whilst also levelling criticism at the state of Regent Park after the Frieze Art Fair, saying the park currently 'looks like a building site'. More than 800,000 people attended the concerts. Next year the number of concerts allowed will be cut from 12 to 9.