Live Nation will not renege on its decision to pull out of Hyde Park, the promoter’s COO, John Probyn, has confirmed. Discussions with alternative sites in the capital are already underway.

“Royal Parks has ignored everything else and gone for the money and we’re really good at walking away when something makes no sense,” Probyn told Access All Areas.

“Hyde Park is the most expensive venue in the country and the stakeholders just don’t want events in there. I’ve kept saying that it’s a fantastic site, and in its heyday it was, but for the last four years it’s been a nightmare. When you’re constantly looking to cut spend and make money elsewhere, the buck always has to stop with the ticketbuyer,” he said.

“We have no desire to be involved with a loss-leading project, or to work with someone who doesn’t understand what we’re doing. Other venues that don’t have the same approach or the same noise restrictions are courting us now, which is nice after 15 years of battling with local residents and the Royal Parks.

“I’m sure someone else will go into Hyde Park, but on top of everything it’s a real struggle to get artists,” Probyn added. “We had to get to know how to make the site work, whether it was for 30,000 people or 60,000.” 

Live Nation will not renege on its decision to pull out of Hyde Park, the promoter’s COO, John Probyn, has confirmed. Discussions with alternative sites in the capital are already underway.

“Royal Parks has ignored everything else and gone for the money and we’re really good at walking away when something makes no sense,” Probyn told Access All Areas.

“Hyde Park is the most expensive venue in the country and the stakeholders just don’t want events in there. I’ve kept saying that it’s a fantastic site, and in its heyday it was, but for the last four years it’s been a nightmare. When you’re constantly looking to cut spend and make money elsewhere, the buck always has to stop with the ticketbuyer,” he said.

“We have no desire to be involved with a loss-leading project, or to work with someone who doesn’t understand what we’re doing. Other venues that don’t have the same approach or the same noise restrictions are courting us now, which is nice after 15 years of battling with local residents and the Royal Parks.

“I’m sure someone else will go into Hyde Park, but on top of everything it’s a real struggle to get artists,” Probyn added. “We had to get to know how to make the site work, whether it was for 30,000 people or 60,000.”