St Helens Council to hold review after Reminisce complaints

In the region of 20,000 people attended Saturday's event at Sherdley Park, with festival-goers saying they faced horrendous queuing and delays.

Some also raised security concerns and labelled the organisation “shambolic” and the overall experience a "nightmare".

Groups of volunteers also went out to collect hundreds of bags full of litter on approaches to the park, and said the sheer volume of waste left discarded in the area was “absolutely horrendous”.

An aerial view of Sherdley Park during the event

Responding to criticisms, Lee Bulter, the Liverpool-based DJ who co-founded Reminisce, said the internet system had failed shortly after the doors opened, causing disruption to contactless payments at tills and door scanning.

He said plenty of people had messaged him to say they enjoyed the day but he had also spent much time reading through the criticisms.

Mr Butler apologised to anyone who didn’t enjoy the occasion and said he wanted to respond to the complaints and be accountable, though he expressed disappointment at the personal insults he had faced.

The local authority said it is launching a review into what happened at Saturday's festival and how it compared to previous occasions the event has been held.

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A St Helens Borough Council spokesperson said: “Following the number of resident concerns raised around the Reminisce Festival we will holding an urgent review meeting with partners to review the issues raised.

"We have thorough guidelines that outline our high standards which we expect event organisers to meet and take into account issues such as health and safety.

"This is not the first time this event has taken place in this location so we will be reviewing what has happened this year compared to previous years.

“We know in particular issues have been raised around litter at the site. As part of the contract festival organisers have responsibility for site clean up both inside the venue and the surrounding areas around Sherdley Park.

"Our team have been out and taken action where there were still issues with littering on the park itself and the surrounding streets.

"We know also that volunteers also came out on Sunday to support with the clean up efforts and we'd like to praise those who have given up their time to keep their local area tidy.”

The council said that Saturday's festival had a licence capacity of 20,000, including staff, performers and people involved with the delivery of the event, and that this was identical to the 2019 event.

Cllr Jeanie Bell

Meanwhile, Cllr Jeanie Bell, cabinet member for safer, stronger communities, added: “I’d like to reassure residents that we are taking the issues raised by them very seriously and are listening to those who have contacted us with their thoughts.

"Across the council, along with our partners, we are reviewing these concerns raised by residents and those who attended the festival as a matter of urgency. We have high standards for event organisers and we will not compromise on those expectations and licensing standards.

"Residents and spectators welfare and safety are paramount for us and we will continue to expect events to meet our exacting requirements.”