Talks continue for a two day concert on The Downs in 2009
Epsom Downs Racecourse has been approached by music promotions company, All The Worlds, who want to stage a two-day outdoor music concert on the Downs in the summer of 2009. The concert is proposed for the weekend following The Derby Festival and expects to attract a crowd of up to 30,000 on the Saturday (50,000 over the weekend)
The plan is for a pop concert on the Saturday, whilst the Sunday will be Classical music. There will be no camping; it is not a Festival, but two distinct days with very different audiences.
Nick Blofeld, Managing Director of Epsom Downs Racecourse commented; "This is an opportunity which we have been looking into for some time and have been discussing the idea with the Conservators and local council, the trainers and also recently held a public meeting of local residents. There are still a number of concerns and issues we want to overcome but we believe it is an exciting opportunity we should explore. After the public meeting a number of people said they felt it was a good opportunity to increase Epsom's profile internationally, via the proposed television coverage, and being recognised for more than just being the Home of The Derby."
The Derby Festival is now a huge event in the world sporting calendar, attracting over 120,000 people annually, and this will be a far smaller event. However, the racecourse’s experience in planning for traffic, noise and clean-up operations for The Derby will be invaluable in minimising local disruption due to the concerts. The proposed concerts will be much smaller in size and scale than the Derby, closer to a Ladies Day crowd, and will run through the afternoon and up until 10.30 pm. The proposed area will be fenced off; it will not cover The Downs, only a part of it.
All those involved are very sensitive to maintaining the unique and special environment of The Downs, and it is this stunning setting that attracted All the Worlds in the first place. The plan is to repeat the event if it is deemed successful and so managing all the local issues is a key component of being allowed to come back.
All The Worlds are highly professional and experienced in putting on events in sensitive locations and want to work with Epsom Downs long term. The proposal is for a five-year contract with break clauses after each year, so it is vital that All The Worlds work closely with the racecourse and local community to overcome concerns and make the event a success. The racecourse has already committed £50k of their income to the Conservators per annum for projects on The Downs and are talking with the trainers to support them further financially.
