High Definition Festival

Car insurance
Short term insurance

The Dream
A yearly celebration of House, Trance, Garage ........

The reality
Problems of overcrowding, crime, drugs ......

The end
Destroyed by it's own success!

WTF Went Wrong?

Let me first of all stress that the owners of this website have absolutely nothing, zero, zilch to do with this festival, apart from the fact that we bought tickets for it and felt ripped off like you probably do. So, please don't blame us for this mess. We are merely recording the history of the event and the reasons for it's failure for anyone who may be interested.

What was the High Definition Festival?

The High Definition Festival was a successful dance music festival that ran in 2011, 2012 and 2013, and was planned to run in 2015, before being unexpectedly cancelled, despite an unexpected change of venue. It was a one-day annual event with some of the country's leading names in dance music and was hugely popular with lovers of the genre. In 2013, for example, the line-up featured Ms Dynamite, Labrinth, Maya Jane Coles and Sinead Hartnett, to name but a few. The venue had several stages and attracted primarily young people who were drawn by the music and the party-going atmosphere.

Why was the High Definition Festival Cancelled?

The High Definition Festival was cancelled because a complainant made an application to have the festivals' premises licence revoked. His application was supported by various interests, such as the Metropolitan Police, Trading Standards, a number of local residents and the Anti-Social Behaviour team. The decision to withdraw the licence was made by Redbridge Licencing Authority for many reasons that can be viewed in detail here.

The main reasons include:

•Drug Taking Evidence of high levels of drug taking at the festival - drug taking is commonplace at festivals, but a London Ambulance Service employee told the committee that the levels at High Definition were on the high side, and he had personal experience with drug use among two young girls who were 'lucky to be with us today'

. Nitrous Oxide was reportedly used prolifically at the event. •Police Expenditure The 2013 festival cost the police over £50,000, but only £12,254 was contributed towards policy costs by the premise licence holder. The event's popularity arguably led to its downfall; too many partygoers, overcrowding, too much crime and not enough policing led to widespread fears of an eventual tragedy. There were two stabbings at the 2013 festival and, at one point, the police worryingly lost control of the entrance gate.

•Anti-Social Behaviour Many local residents complained about the noise levels caused by the festival, and high levels of anti-social behaviour, such as urinating in public. Lots of litter was reportedly left after each festival, which wasn't cleaned in a timely manner.

Did Anyone Receive Any Compensation?

Live Music Events Limited announced the fact that they were going into liquidation in August 2015, three weeks before the planned event. Initially, ticket holders had to apply to their credit card providers for compensation. A petition was posted on Change.org demanding compensation, but so far, no news has been published of any plans to compensate ticket goers. Bearing in mind the fact that the liquidators of the defunct company were unable to find sufficient assets even to pay their own fees, this would seem highly unlikely, to say the least.