ORGANISERS from the Wannasee Festival have made the 'extremely difficult decision' to postpone the upcoming event, near Penrith, due to poor ground conditions. 

The live music event which showcases tribute acts from across the country was scheduled to be held during the upcoming August bank holiday, from Thursday 22 - 25. 

During a site check this week at Hutton in the Forest, organisers said: "It’s become apparent that the ground conditions mean that it is not possible to operate on its scheduled dates, to the standards which are required to ensure it is safe and satisfactory to everyone involved". 

"We have exhausted all options over the past few days to try and make the event happen but time constraints and the added costs of upwards of hundreds of thousands of pounds mean that we are unable to run the festival as planned next week," a spokesperson said. 

With the soil saturated, according to the site's management team, should the festival proceed as planned, there is a risk that vehicles could get stuck during all phases of the event.

"We share the disappointment in being unable to stage the festival, as planned, but we are sure you will understand that safety must come first and to try and run the festival in hugely muddy conditions would be much too risky and we have fallen victim to this wet summer, as, sadly, have dozens of other festivals.

"All ticket holders will receive an email this afternoon with further information.

"Once again, we are truly sorry to make this decision, but we are unwilling to compromise on health and safety to attempt to scrape something together that wouldn’t be enjoyable for anyone involved," a spokesperson said. 

Last year's event came under public backlash from attendees due to conditions including long queues, 'shambolic' toilets, and cars being pulled from the mud by tractors.

Organisers explained the challenges faced and addressed the criticism, and expressed ambitions for the festival to 'return to its roots' for the 2024 event.