FESTIVAL NEWS

The Times reports that the Burning Man Festival in Nevada has attracted an influx of Silicon Valley millionaires and billionaires who are altering the festival's unique dynamic, flying to the event in private jets and sleeping in air conditioned yurts and winnebegos, somewhat undermining the Burning Man ethos. The first day of the desert event was cancelled .... after heavy rain! The festival,  which draws tens of thousands of festival-goers known as “burners” to the Black Rock Desert, was slated to open at 10 a.m. Monday, but those who were not inside were being turned around at the entrance after "rainstorms that left standing water on the playa, leaving it un-drivable". Those heading to the festival from Reno were asked to stay put until the rain let up.

The Electric Zoo festival in New York was also cut short because of extreme weather conditions. The third day of last year's EDM event was cancelled last year after two festival-goers died and four others were taken ill, all in drug-related incidents.

Festival Insights reports that Hertfordshire’s Standon Calling has announced its intention to improve three key areas of the event for 2015 in response to customer feefback, Firstly and the allowance of alcohol for each individual has been raised to either 12 cans beer/lager/cider, 75cl of spirits or one box of wine (which seems very low still!) Secondly the site’s water system will undergo a complete overhaul following a failure of its bore hole compression system during this year’s proceedings. Organisers also plan to invest in better technology after problems with mobile phone connectivity put the mobile card machines out of commission and many were forced to use the on-site ATMs, which incurred a charge. 

A US-based 'ticketing search engine' called SeatGeek has announced it has raised $35 million in investment, in a funding round led by Accel Partners which has been backed by a number of investors, including some from the technology and sporting sectors. The new monies will be used to fund expansion and marketing. In a statement the company's founder Jack Groetzinger said: "SeatGeek is a technology company, not a ticket company. We spent our first four years focused exclusively on building a great product. A year ago we began to try our hand at marketing, and were blown away by the results. So for us, this is a natural opportunity for us to get more aggressive in marketing. Still, we weren't looking to raise money, but when we met Accel, we knew it was a great fit".

Police at the Budweiser Made in America Music Festival made several arrests, and 6 were for felony narcotics. The two site event was first held at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia in 2012 and in 2014 it was decided that the festival would be held simultaneously in Los Angeles as well where the arrests were made.  Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea took the stage in sweltering heat to an enthusiastic crowd - over 34,000 people attended.

The Ultra Music Festival in Miami has announced that it will introduce a minimum age limit of 18 for its 2015 edition, and that it has hired a new head of security. The festival struggled to gain a licence for 2015, following an incident in 2014 which saw a security guard seriously injured when part of the fence surrounding the festival was pushed down. Miami city officials had been critical of Ultra promoters, claiming that the authorities had warned organisers about the issues with the particular area of fencing where the incident took place. Although a licence for 2015 was ultimately granted, the city's mayor Tomas Regalado had said that he is opposed to the event. In a statement Ultra's organisers said: "While we sincerely value the incredible ongoing support from our younger fans, we ultimately believe that Ultra Music Festival is a premium event geared towards adults. This decision has been made to reinforce and promote the safety of all Ultra Music Festival fans and to ensure the overall enjoyment of all future attendees". They added: "We are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from our younger fan base to date and we encourage them to attend the festival once they reach the appropriate age. Until then, our free YouTube stream 'Ultra Live' is available worldwide for everyone, all ages to enjoy and to share in the Ultra experience".

The Association Of Independent Festivals has announced more details about its Festival Congress, which will take place in Cardiff on 17 and 18 Oct. Confirmed to speak are Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly, Welsh minister Edwina Hart, and a number of festival reps, including Rob da Bank (Bestival), Martin Elbourne (Glastonbury/The Great Escape) and Ivan Millivojev (Exit Festival). Commenting on all that, da Bank, as both panellist and AIF co-founder, told reporters: "As the hour rapidly approaches, all at AIF are absolutely buzzing about the Congress. These latest announcements show that we're bringing the cream of the independent festival world together in Cardiff. The stage is set for an excellent conference and we'll be celebrating a big season that has seen more sold-out AIF festivals than ever before".

Nasty - how NOT to behave at a festival. Any of them -  "Drunk festival girl destroys tent and falls in her own piss / Синька зло! - See more at: http://viralvideos.prochan.com/WTF/t/ecc_1397390902

SFX snap up Electric Zoo

The recently floated SFX, the now EDM-focused live firm, has bought Made Event, the company behind the Electric Zoo festival,. Confirming the deal, SFX boss Robert Sillerman said"The acquisition of Made is strategically important for SFX, as it establishes a strong foothold for us in the New York City region. Co-founders Mike Bindra and Laura De Palma are the ultimate industry professionals, and our management team will benefit greatly from their years of experience". As previously reported, the New York event was cut short by one day this year after two drug-related deaths.

Warehouse death and illnesses blamed on drugs

Police investigating the death of a man who died at a Warehouse Project night in Manchester on Friday 27th September are said to be considering the theory that a "bad batch of drugs" could be the cause. Five other clubbers were also hospitalised after taking a drug, thought to be ecstasy.

It has previously been confirmed that two deaths at the Electric Zoo festival in New York last month were drug-related. As previously reported, the third day of the EDM festival was cancelled after the deaths. The New York City medical examiner’s office confirmed that both Olivia Rotondo and Jeffrey Russ, both in their early 20s, died from overdoses of MDMA combined with hyperthermia on the second day of the event.

Electric Zoo halted after drugs deaths

The third day of New York dance festival Electric Zoo was cancelled after two deaths during the first 48 hours of the fifth edition of the annual event. It is thought the two deaths and four other festival-goers becoming critically ill were all drugs related. The New York authorities seemingly moved to shut down the third day of the event, due to include sets by the likes of Armin van Buuren, Diplo and Chase & Status, after the two fatalities were confirmed.