Bluedot: Rain-hit festival thanks those who waded through mud

Organisers of a rain-affected festival have thanked all those fans who "waded through mud" to enjoy it "against the odds".

Bluedot, which was held at Cheshire's Jodrell Bank Observatory, had to cancel day tickets on Sunday after torrential rain caused issues across the site.

On Instagram, its organisers said "tirelessly hard-working" staff had kept the festival going.

They added the decision to cancel tickets had been "heartbreaking".

The event, which takes place around the Lovell Telescope, saw headline shows from Grace Jones, Pavement and Roisin Murphy alongside a host of comedy sets, science talks and arts performances, between Thursday and Sunday.

However, heavy rain across the weekend caused major problems on site and saw its organisers using woodchips and metal on walkways to try to keep the crowds moving.

As conditions worsened, its organisers took the decision to cancel all day tickets on Sunday and ban all those with weekend passes from returning to the site by car.

In a post, a festival representative said they wanted to "take a moment to thank and celebrate those who made sure the show could go on".

"Bluedot 2023 was able to take place as the result of an extraordinary effort from a huge variety of tirelessly hard-working teams and organisations," they said.

They thanked the staff who helped the festival happen, but said special praise should go to "our wonderful Bluedot explorers".

The attendees had "despite everything, waded through mud to surf the cosmic waves to achieve something against the odds", they added.

"[It was] an amazing collective action to make fun, wonder and joy... just for a few days," they said.

"We deeply appreciate the support we have received, both on site and online.

"The community of music, science and culture fans we are so fortunate to host, has come together stronger than ever."

They said refunds would be made available to those whose Sunday tickets had been cancelled.

"Our sincere apologies again to those who could not join us on the last day, which was a heartbreaking decision," they said.

"Having had a chance now to see the extent of the challenges we faced, we hope you understand our predicament and our reasoning."

They added Bluedot would return next year, but the festival was "pushing back" a planned sale of 2024 tickets "until we have dealt with all refunds".

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