Leeds boss confirms bonfire displays for last night of festival

Leeds Festival boss Melvin Benn has confirmed at today's press launch of Leeds Festival that they plan to have official bonfire displays at the end of this year's event.

The Festival organiser hopes that a large organised fire displays will stop outbreaks of disorder at next month's festival. The plan is for one (or more) large supervised bonfires to take place on the closing evening of the festival.

This organisers hope will stop campers from lighting their own unauthorised fires, which have caused disturbances at the festival in previous years. The proposal is part of the festival's management plan presented to Leeds City Council licensing committee next Tuesday.

The organisers, Festival Republic, say in their submission, "It appears that some (campers] will always start bonfires that then attract an audience. We believe that without an audience, these perpetrators of unorganised bonfires may cease from lighting them and then fuelling them."

Organisers will ensure that the bonfire will be carefully controlled and have a five-metre 'exclusion zone' surrounding the fire. They will also have Security staff on hand to make sure that hazardous items such as gas canisters do not end up in the bonfire when it is being constructed.

The plan also contains traffic measures and reveals that organisers are hoping to open campsites to general ticket holders from 3am on the Thursday to encourage fans to travel when the roads are quietest, helping to prevent a repeat of last year's traffic problems. Earlybird permit holders will have access from 2pm Wednesday 26th August.

Festival goers are reminded that NO aerosols (over 100ml) or gas canisters will be allowed on site. Those festival goers wanting to cook outside their tent should bring disposable BBQs, solid fuel or 'trangia' type stoves only. Anyone seen with canisters or cylinders will be ejected from site.

The festivals have headliners of Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, and Kings Of Leon with other acts including Kaiser Chiefs, Placebo, The Prodigy, Maximo Park, Ian Brown, Bloc Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Gossip, Glasvegas, and many more.

For the Leeds line-up details click here.

The festival will feature a full line-up of over 150 acts over the bank holiday weekend accros six stages from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th August.

Leeds Festival takes place at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

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