A two-day music festival due to take place in Newcastle this week-end has been cancelled.

Ignition Festival, which was to be headlined by Calvin Harris, Echo and The Bunnymen, Frank Turner, Feeder and local bands Little Comets and We Beat the System was due to take place this weekend at Newcastle Racecourse.

Organisers had been looking for a new venue after Newcastle Racecourse announced concerns about letting it go ahead.  Talks with Newcastle City Council to try to relocate the festival have broken down.

The festival was originally due to take place at Newcastle Falcons rugby union club’s Kingston Park ground but that idea was abandoned after complaints from residents. The venue was then changed to Newcastle Racecourse and tickets continued to sell.

However, a statement released on Thursday said the festival was cancelled and racecourse management were “bitterly disappointed”. They said the organisers failed to submit an event safety plan, details of security, first aid provision and planning documentation. They said they also failed to make payment to some suppliers.

The organisers then had talks with Newcastle City Council but failed to come up with an alternative venue at such short notice.

A spokesperson from Newcastle City Council said: “We considered their request very carefully, but concluded that because we owe a duty to our residents and businesses to ensure they are properly informed, and because of the strict conditions placed on the council’s own insurance, we were unable to find a safe alternative at such short notice.”

The organisers of the Ignition Festival made the statement below on their website:

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED With deepest regret we are now in a position to confirm that Ignition Festival 2011 will not be going ahead. Despite every effort to keep this going after this was cancelled yesterday by Newcastle Racecourse. We have been in discussions with Stephen Savage from Newcastle City Council with regards to re locating the event. Unfortunately this was not possible due to residential issues and time constraints. We would like to thank Newcastle City Council for working with us since yesterday to try and make this happen as well as Northumbria Police. We would like to apologise for all of the inconvenience and upset caused to the people involved. We have full intention to reimburse all holders for the tickets purchased. Be assured no salaries or expenses have been drawn by directors or shareholders at any time. And although this is of no compensation, all involved will be taking a large financial loss. Please send any refund requests to info@i-fest.co.uk and we will endeavour to contact all ticket holders as soon as possible. Ignition Ltd

Sorry for the inconvenience.

To contact Ignition Festival Ltd for a refund, call: 0191 281 9832 or email info@i-fest.co.uk  or alternatively simon@i-fest.co.uk.

If you are attending any of the Festivals why not check out our Festival Weekend Survival Kit or our Festival Day Survival Kit?

We are giving away an extra £1 discount on our Touch of Ginger Festival Weekend Survival Kit until the end of this month. All you have to do is enter the discount voucher code shown below when you checkout.

The Festival Weekend Survival Kit is full of the really useful essentials you will need at any music festival. You’ll never guess what you need until you need it – so get one of our Festival Weekend Survival Kits today.

When you get to the checkout enter the following coupon code in the box marked “DISCOUNT CODES” to get an additional £1 discount:

FESTIVAL

If you are unlucky enough to only be going to a music festival for the day you might just need the Festival Day Survival Kit which is packed full with all the the goodies you will need for your day out.

T in the Park 2010 line up

Tickets for T in the Park 2010 sold out in less than 90 minutes, so unless you’ve got one already you had better hope one of your friends has as spare.

We will publish this years T in the Park Camping Tips soon to help make your festival planning a little easier. Meanwhile why not get one of our Festival Survival Kits to make sure you are well prepared.

Keep your eyes open at the T in the Park official website at www.tinthepark.com for updates to the line up.

Glastonbury festival takes place next year on June 23rd to June 27th. Camping is included in the ticket price and the campsite is open from Wednesday June 23rd to Monday June 28th. For more details see www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk.

Next year will be the 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury festival, which is held at Worth Farm in Somerset, and its organiser Michael Eavis has said “expectations are really high, as we’re trying to get the best headliners in the world”.

To buy a Glastonbury ticket you must have pre-registered by Friday last week to qualify to buy a ticket. The pre-registration system was introduced in 2007 to combat ticket touts, although last year fans were able to extend their registration for three years. Registration does not guarantee a Glastonbury ticket, but means that you are “eligible” to buy one.

Glastonbury tickets will cost £185 plus a £5 booking fee, and £4.95 for postage and packaging. You can buy Glastonbury tickets on-line via www.seetickets.com and by phone on 0844 412 4635.

Glastonbury fans can also participate in the Glastonbury ticket deposit scheme, which allows you to pay a £50 deposit to reserve a ticket, with the full amount payable by February 28th 2010.

Fans from both the UK and overseas will need to supply their personal details and submit a digital passport-style photo. Tickets will arrive with the submitted photographs printed on them to help prevent ticket touting and fraud.

If you’re planning ahead make sure you pack you travel size toiletries for camping and get a festival weekend kit to make the most of the fun. Glastonbury tickets will be in short supply again as it is expected that in 2012 the Glastonbury festival will not take place to allow the Somerset site to recover.

If you’ve never been to Thailand before, it’s well worth taking the time to travel to Greenwich Park to see what you’ve been missing.

Greenwich Park, the oldest of the Royal Parks, will host its second Thai event on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August, when the Greenwich Park Bandstand will be transformed into a beautiful Thai village.

The festival will open with a parade of elegant Thai dancers from the St Mary’s Gate (Greenwich Park main entrance). Thereafter there will be a whole host of typically Thai attractions, from sampling a range of authentic Thai food from some of London’s best Thai restaurants to Thai dancing, martial arts, Thai boxing, authentic Thai massage and a Buddhist ceremony. If you are unlucky enough to miss the opening parade, there will also be contemporary and classical Thai dancing on the main stage during the event, along with live traditional music by The Thai Music Circle in the pavilion throughout the day.

So if the delicious tastes and smells of exquisite Thai cuisine are your favourite or you simply want to try something new, visit Greenwich Park for a taste of Thailand. As an added bonus, your ticket also includes entrance to a prize draw to win a return flight to Thailand.

The Thai Festival will be open from 11am to 6pm with tickets priced at £5 at the entrance or buy in advance online for only £3. For more details visit Amthai Festival.

Global Gathering is one of Europe’s biggest dance festivals and is due to be a sell-out again so get tickets while you can from www.globalgathering.co.uk. Some of the headliners this year are The Prodigy, Orbital, Pendulum, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Burren, David Guetta, Carl Cox, Sasha, Dubfire, Fedde Le Grande, ATB, Tiga and Sander van Doorn to name but a few! And brand new for this year is “The Godskitchen Boombox” which is going to be fantastic.

However, to make sure you get the max out of the music its worthwhile doing a little preparation before you travel to Stratford to start the festivities. So here’s our Top Ten Tips for camping at Global Gathering this year:

1. Charge everything up to the max! No, not the credit card – that comes later, your electrical items. Charge up your mobile phone, ipod, camera and any other electrical items you will be taking with you, you don’t want to carry around dead weights.
2. Check your camping cooker! Make sure that your cooker works AND that you’ve got a fresh gas canister. There’s nothing worse than running out half way through cooking when you’re hungry – that’s where you max the credit card! (Of course, if you’re awash with cash and can afford it, enjoy some of the great food on offer for the duration of the festival.)
3. Travel light! Pack only the bare essentials and certainly minimise on any valuables you take with you. Use travel size toiletries where possible, everything from shower gel to toothpaste – you’ll be surprised how much room you can save in a cramped tent.
4. Get there early! The car parks open at 10am on Friday and the VIP campsite opens at 11am, with the Weekend campsite opening at 12am, so you want to get in and get yourself organised nice and early ready to start the party.
5. Pick a good spot! Don’t pitch your tent too close to the main pathways (easy access for passers-by that take a fancy to your belongings), toilets (mmm! lovely!), or dips in the ground (did you know that water runs downhill?).
6. Get a locker! If you do take along any valuables and you do not intend to carry them round with you 24hrs a day, get a locker. It will save you loads of hassle and they also have the advantage that they have a 12v cigarette style power outlet so you can recharge phones etc if they die on you (should have followed tip number 1).
7. Use sun lotion! It’s going to be a hot one so make sure it’s only the BBQ’s and grills that are sizzling. A neat little idea is a Piz Buin Sunband that slips round your wrist so you can carry it with you all day long.
8. Take your “allowed” 2 litre bottles of water into the festival with you! Once you’ve drunk those you can refill them at the standpipes so you’ve always got some water either with you or back at the tent.
9. Don’t forget to take insect repellent! Dawn and Dusk is when the mosquito’s like to “eat out” so make sure you’re either covered up (yeah, right!) or you’ve got some good insect repellent. Products containing the chemical DEET are proven to be the most effective but there are plenty of plant derived alternatives or natural products on the market. Have a look at something like a Mosi Band dry non toxic insect repellent wristband as an alternative to a spray.
10. Postcode your camping gear! Not necessarily your own postcode and house number, perhaps a friend or relative, for just in case you leave anything behind or become separated from it on the way home. It makes it much easier to contact you and return it.

Here’s also a couple of useful links to the Global Gathering Festival Guide and a Festival Survival Kit.

Finally have FUN!

The real key of what you pack for camping is to keep the size and weight of everything down to a minimum. So don’t take full size products with you, buy travel size toiletries instead! These little beauties will SAVE their weight in gold when you are trying to fit everything (including the kitchen sink) into a rucksack or bag.

Here are our travel size toiletries top ten for this year’s T in the Park festival:

1. Body Wash – The showers are open every morning and you’ll find them in Red 11 at the perimeter fence. But remember that all the body wash / soap / shower gel used should be phosphate free to help protect the environment of Loch Leven. Dove Go Fresh body wash comes in a tiny 55ml pocket size and has the great fragrance of cucumber and green tea.
2. Shave Oil – Nuage Shaving Oil with menthol and eucalyptus comes in a mini 20ml can that’s only 11cm tall. It makes you wonder why you’re taking a wash bag!
3. Hair Care – Salon chic shine serum comes in a travel size 50ml pump action bottle, only 11cm tall, that gives your hair instant shine and lustre, smoothing frizz and frayed ends.
4. Breath Spray – Dentiplus alcohol free fresh breath spray is a 25ml non-aerosol which is also sugar free. It is specially formulated with an antiseptic agent to help overcome mouth odours caused by eating, drinking and smoking – but there again that’s the last thing you’ll be doing isn’t it?
5. Deodorant – Nuage anti-perspirant deodorant spray is a slim 25ml standing only 11cm tall. This non-aerosol pump action deo gives you 24hr protection with a great fragrance.
6. Fragrance – Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier is tiny 7.5ml fragrance that packs a big punch. Specially designed to celebrate the work of the famous tattooist Ed Hardy, just the artwork on the bottle is out of this world!
7. Hand Gel – Carex travel size hand gel with aloe vera kills 99% of bacteria without the need for soap and water. This 50ml mini should last up to 100 uses and really is something worth keeping in your pocket.
8. Wet Wipes – Wet ones cooling wipes come in a handy travel size pack of 12 wipes and are  just great for when you need to freshen up on the go.
9. Foot Spray – Be friendly to the other campers you’re sharing a tent with! Escenti cool feet deodorising foot spray contains peppermint and menthol with antibacterial and anti-fungal ingredients in a 50ml mini plastic bottle.
10. Insect Repellent – Not strictly a toiletry but given the mix of weather expected this weekend I would expect the “bugs” to be out in force, so insect repellent is a must! Mosi-Band Dry Non Toxic Insect Repellent Bands are an all natural DEET free wrist/ankle band that are also suitable for children. These will keep mosquitoes and insects at bay for up to 100 hours continuous use, all festival long!

For more top tips download the T in the Park Festival Essentials Guide 2009 or head over to their website at T in the Park.

Festival-goers at the Big Chill in Ledbury on 6th August have been asked to be extras in “I spit on your rave”, a collaboration between WARP films and Film4.

People have been asked to arrive in costume for filming but make up will be on hand to get that authentic zombie look!

1,227 people took part in the largest official “zombie walk” so far in Nottingham in 2008 but at this year’s Big Chill Festival at Eastnor Castle in Ledbury they hope to smash this and get into the Guinness Book of Records as the “Most Amount of Zombies Captured on Camera”.

This year’s Big Chill Festival runs from 6th – 9th August with a line up including Andy Askins, Annie Nightingale, Basement Jaxx, Jazzie B, Marina and the Diamonds, Orbital and Wonky Pop to name but a few.

If you going along to the Big Chill make sure you’ve got your Festival Day Survival Kit or if you’re lucky enough to be there for the 3 days, your Festival Weekend Survival Kit and travel size toiletries.

With less than two weeks to go before the Glastonbury Festival starts, it’s our pick of the top ten travel size toiletries you can get to save valuable space when you pack your rucksack for your camping trip to Glastonbury.

With nearly a million of us enjoying this years “sell-out” Festival season you can’t start planning your trip to Glastonbury early enough and make sure you’ve got your travel size toiletries in advance.

1. Simple Travel Size Companion Mini Set – 4 travel size toiletries inside a clear plastic zip lock bag. Perfect skincare for the Festival in a tiny wash bag.
2. Carex Travel Size Hand Gel with Aloe Vera – The tiny travel size 50ml bottle provides up to 100 applications and kills 99.9% of bacteria without needing soap and water.
3. Nuage Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Spray – A slim line 25ml travel size deodorant that gives you 24 hour protection for the (hopefully) hot days and warm nights.
4. Nivea for Men Travel Size Mini Set – Face wash, shaving gel and moisturiser in a space saving clear plastic zipped bag. Practically pocket size for the walk to the Festival washing facilities.
5. Nuage Shave Oil – A slim line 20ml spray shaving oil with Menthol and Eucalyptus. This pocket size can enables a close shave, leaving your skin feeling fresh and smooth.
6. cK Be EDT Mini – This 15ml travel size mini fragrance is ideal for the Festival. Once you’re looking good, make sure you smell even better!
7. Festival Weekend Survival Kit – Or if you’ve only managed to bag a day ticket, the Festival Day Survival Kit. These pocket size beauties are crammed with the essentials you need to feel fresh and enjoy the fun.
8. Insette Travel Size Mini Set – 6 travel size minis in a tiny pink zip topped toiletries bag just right for the Festival Wash basins.
9. Wet Ones Cooling Wipes – This resealable travel pack of 12 wipes for hands and body is ideal to slip into your pocket for the day to make sure you can stay cool, fresh and clean
10. Piz Buin Sunband – Ok, fair cop! Not a toiletry but with a “Barbeque Summer” being forecast this year it’s best to make sure that the only thing that sizzles IS the BBQ. This nifty little wristband (or you can wear it around your ankle) contains 50ml of Piz Buin SPF 20 with vitamin E to protect you from the suns rays whilst you get the maximum enjoyment from the bands – no pun intended! Comes in 3 great colours to match your outfit for the day.

These travel size accessories and essentials are invaluable in saving space and weight when you have to “lug” your stuff to Glastonbury, letting you concentrate on the most important aspects like the music, acts and atmosphere – and hopefully sun!

In a truly unique setting, the historic Hampton Court Palace courtyard plays host to some of the biggest names from the world of music to bring an eclectic mix of concerts over 10 nights in June.

There is no better setting on a warm summer night for some of the world’s leading musicians to provide an unforgettable experience.

If you can get there early enough why not pre-order one of Carluccio’s picnics and relax and enjoy it in Hampton Court Palace’s stunning 17th Century Gardens before the concert.

The free car park opens at 5pm and the Palace Gardens open at 5:30pm for you to enjoy the surroundings and picnic. The Palace Courtyard opens at 6:30pm so you can take your seats before the performances which begin at 7:15pm or 9pm.

Tuesday and Wednesday saw stunning performances from Jose Carreras, Faryl Smith and Jools Holland, with the rest of the 2009 line up as follows:

• Thursday 4th June – Russell Watson
• Friday 5th June – Level 42
• Saturday 6th June – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
• Tuesday 9th June – Beverley Knight and Lemar
• Wednesday 10th June – James Morrison
• Thursday 11th June – RPO’s Best of Broadway with Rachel Tucker
• Friday 12th June – Jools Holland
• Saturday 13th June – Beethoven Festival Finale

If you’re planning to make a full day of it and visit London make sure you check out one of our iPod Tube Maps and the London City Visitors Kit.

For more information on booking and travel visit the Hampton Court Palace Festival site.