LONDON (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Live Nation is working hard to dry out London's Hyde Park ahead of the Hard Rock Calling festival from July 13-15th and the Madonna concert on July 17th.
The promoter has been bringing in wood chips by the truck load to absorb excess moisture on the park grounds, but the shipments have been slowed by the closure of the M4 Motorway, Event Magazine reported.
The promoter has already canceled one event at Hyde Park, the Hit Factory Live, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic pop label that was planned for this week.
John Probyn, Live Nation's Chief Operating Officer told Event: "We have a massive operation in place to put down 8,000 cubic metres of woodchippings. We're getting another 4,000 that we're going to use as a stockpile to see us through the rest of the shows we've got here. As long as you put out enough of it down it helps to absorb the water and helps with further rain as well."
"I've never seen rain like this in Hyde Park. At a camping festival like Download, people are more robust and come expecting it to be muddy and wet. In Hyde Park you get people turning up in high heels and a lot of people who wouldn't normally go to outdoor events, so we have to cater to everybody and make sure the ground conditions are suitable," Probyn added. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers