Field Day festival in London hit by delays

The Field Day festival in London, which is to feature headline slots by Skepta and Jorja Smith this weekend, has been hit by delays on its first day.

The event, which was previously held at Victoria Park in east London, has moved to an industrial park in north London.

Organisers said they were “sorry” fans missed bands Pip Blom and Boy Azooga as the main site had not yet been opened.

Dutch band Pip Blom tweeted: “We did play. But unfortunately… we ended up playing in front of the crew”.

Welsh artists Boy Azooga also tweeted they played to a virtually empty venue.

“We had to go ahead and play, wish we could’ve waited,” they tweeted. “Am so sorry you had to wait in the rain, obviously we would much rather have had a crowd to play to!”

The festival also confirmed the weather issues meant artists Jessica Winter, Femi Kuti and rapper Kojey Radical had been dropped from the line-up.

Radical said: “We arrived on time and ready to go but the main stage hasn’t been cleared for safety.

“I apologise to everyone who everyone who came down to see me. It’s really out of my control.”

In a statement to the BBC, organisers said: “Due to earlier weather conditions, we made the decision to delay the opening of the main stage as a safety precaution. This meant sadly that Jessica Winter, Femi Kuti and Kojey Radical weren’t able to perform.

“This also led to the indoor stages opening slightly later than planned, meaning some fans didn’t get to see Pip Blom and Boy Azooga. We’re happy to say that all stages are open, with no other cancellations and it’s great to see fans enjoying the new location.

“We look forward to many standout performances over the next two days.”

The two-day event is due to continue on Saturday with artists like Diplo, Jorja Smith and BBC Sound of 2019 winner Octavian due to perform.