Ebrington Square: Two events confirm they will go ahead as planned

Two August events in Ebrington Square will go ahead as planned following Ebrington Hotel's u-turn on blocking concerts next month.

Event promoters Another BIG Weekend confirmed the Stack City Raves and Abba tribute act Arrival shows will go ahead at the square.

“Great news: Events going ahead as planned. Thank you Everyone for your support,” they wrote on Facebook.

The new £15 million Ebrington Hotel had attempted to block all events taking place in the public square this August after opening its doors just this month.

It is understood that the Executive Office (TEO) was facing the threat of legal action from the hotel and withdrew permission for the concerts.

However, following public pressure the hotel said it was now 'content' for events to go forward as planned.

A statement from the Ebrington Hotel to the BBC said TEO had not consulted with them prior to the awarding of event licences for the public square.

“Licences for use of Ebrington Square were issued without notice to entertainment promoters by the owners of the site, the Executive Office,” it said.

“The Ebrington Hotel understood that the Executive Office had a duty to consult with them in advance of any decision around the awarding of such licences.

“This did not happen in relation to the August events.”

The Ryan McMullan and Jika Jika events are yet to be confirmed.

Last night Councillor Shauna Cusack said the hotel’s u-turn may have come too late for some of the shows.

“I have been in touch with, and advised by, someone in the business community who is in the know on this unfolding saga. It appears that despite what seemed like a 'win' for the concert goers, turns out to be too little too late,” the SDLP said in a statement.

“Apparently many of the acts, staff, drinks suppliers etc have already cancelled for August. I've been told that at this stage to reorganise would be an impossible task and economically not viable. I suggest anyone who has tickets for any events get in touch with their selling agents to double check and see if they need to apply for a refund. That's all the info I have right now I'm afraid. Simply gutted.”

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council said it had offered the use of an alternative venue to organisers.

“Should they express an interest in using St Columb’s Park for their events, Council would seek to process applications for entertainments licences as quickly as possible, while adhering to the statutory licensing framework and requirements, in order to facilitate the events,” they said.

“Once a formal request is received by Council, officers would meet with the relevant stakeholders through SAG (Safety Advisory Group) to facilitate the event and put in place the necessary requirements for the gigs to go ahead.”