Gateshead festival cancelled over ticket sales

Organisers of a new festival planned for Tyneside have cancelled it after poor ticket sales.

The Green Phoenix Festival was due to have been held at the Gibside estate, in Gateshead, between 19 and 22 August.

Organisers said people may have been waiting to buy tickets on the gates, but they could not take the risk and had no option but to cancel.

The festival was due to feature folk and world music and be powered by solar and wind energy.

Festival director Jim Lepingwell said: "Over the past few months we have taken every step possible to ensure that the festival could go ahead.

"We are devastated to be cancelling the festival, however we felt it was responsible to do it at this stage so we can completely refund the tickets and deposits."

Traders and everyone who has bought tickets will be refunded, he said.

Organisers said the debate element of the festival would still be going ahead.