Festival fundraiser moved after concerns about safety of Northampton park at night

An Umbrella Fair fundraising event in Northampton has been moved after police had concerns about punters walking home across the Racecourse park.
The Umbrella Fair Festival is set to take place in the Racecourse this summer.The Umbrella Fair Festival is set to take place in the Racecourse this summer.
The Umbrella Fair Festival is set to take place in the Racecourse this summer.

Ian Bates has applied to host the Atom Funk event at the Umbrella Fair Pavilion off Kettering Road on Saturday (April 21).

The event was set to feature live DJs in a marquee outside between 3pm and 11pm, family entertainment and DJs indoors between 9pm and 3am the next morning.

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Mr Bates also applied to serve alcohol for 12 hours between 3pm and 3am

But Northamptonshire Police objected to the Temporary Event Notice (TEN) because of concerns about The Racecourse park.

Replying to Mr Bates’ application, licensing officer PC Chris Stevens said: “At this time I would be concerned about the cumulative impact on that area in terms of crime and disorder and anti-social behaviour, especially given how late you want to run the event until.”

Mr Bates, treasurer for the Umbrella Fair Organisation, said the funk and soul music event has now been moved to the Black Prince pub and will start at 4pm tomorrow (Saturday).

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He said: “We have taken the concerns on board and the event has been relocated.”

The Umbrella Fair is a Northampton-based community co-operative that aims to promote sustainable living and the arts in the town.

It hosts a yearly festival at the Racecourse, which sees hundreds of acts and thousands of people descend on the park.