Affluent London residents have rejected an Italian festival offering pasta workshops, opera singing and a deli marquee amid fears of an 'Aperol-induced disorder'.
Emily Ceraudo, organiser of the Marzamemi Festival, said she would bring a taste of Sicily to the famed village green where King Henry VIII once jousted.
Inspired by the eponymous Mediterranean fishing village, the event said it was designed for 'families, food lovers, and art & design enthusiasts' alike.
But despite the promise of live opera, wood-fired pizza and arancini, 45 objections were submitted by locals against the festival.
They raised concerns over anti-social behaviour, excessive noise, and disruption to the local cricket calendar.
Richmond upon Thames Borough Council, home to celebrities such as Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jude Law and David Attenborough , has since rejected Ms Ceraudo's application for the three-day event.
'It is astonishing that anyone would even consider organising a ticketed commercial festival on the green,' NC Coleman said of the proposed event bordering Richmond Palace, where Queen Elizabeth I died.
Richard Young, 80, also aired similar worries, branding the space as 'one of the best greens in the country', referencing Sir Nikolaus Pevsner's book series, The Buildings of England, which honoured the site.
While suggesting Old Deer Park as another option, he also argued admission fees ranging between £25 and £45 went against 'the spirit' of the green, which has always been available to the public.
Meanwhile, residents on a nearby road raised concerns about noise adding that they cannot get double-glazed windows due to the streets being listed.
Describing rugby and cricket crowds as 'civilised', one objector said: 'It's the lower grade people who come in on the tubes and get s**t-faced'.
It comes as police issued dispersal orders this year, including during the Halloween period in a bid to tackle drugs, drinking and fireworks.
Ms Ceraudo argued the event, which had 2,800 attendees last year, was 'very much family friendly'.
She added that the festival, which has explored the potential of an Aperol sponsorship, finished at 8.30pm and was not 'alcohol or music-led'.
'It’s very much children’s activities, masterclasses, we had a chef stage, pasta workshops, a deli marquee where you can buy goods,' she told The Times .
The 42-year-old, who is half Italian, had also made concessions, scaling her festival layout from 40 to 38 per cent of the green so cricket matches could go ahead.
However, teams linked to The Cricketers and The Prince's Head pubs as well as locals, maintained it would still not be possible for games to be played.
She had also offered to set curfews of 8.30pm for Friday and Saturday as well as 6.30pm end time on Sunday.
Ms Ceraudo even proposed installing acoustic monitors near mid-Georgian and 17th-century homes.
However, her amendments failed to get the Richmond Society, the Friends of Richmond Green or the licensing committee on side.
Despite the uproar, not all residents were opposed to the idea of Italian food and opera.
Sara Scarrow, 27, said while she understood some festivals 'can be really crazy', the Marzamemi Festival seemed like a 'really nice' event to attend nearby.
Longtime local Tara Stevens supported the application and expressed that, as a mother, it was nice to have something to do in Richmond for families.
'We have to travel to other boroughs or outside London,' she said. 'There’s pasta-making classes, and there is opera singing … I mean come on, what could be more Richmond than opera performances on the green?'
She also highlighted that the Richmond May Ball, which is priced at £200 a ticket, runs annually on the green until 1am.
The charity gala has more than 450 guests and also has a champagne reception.
Ms Ceraudo told the Daily Mail: 'I can't stress enough that it is an event created by locals, for locals. As a mother of 3 living in Richmond, I started Marzamemi because our community deserved a premium family-centred cultural festival right on our doorstep.
'Our previous 2 years have had zero noise complaints, zero anti- social behaviour & no safety concerns whatsoever.
'The tickets are free for under 15's and general admission adults are £9.50. It is only the adult VIP tickets that are £45, which includes food, drinks, premium seating & a goodie bag.
'We are approaching all types of brands for sponsorship - including food, soft drinks, children's brands. It is not only Campari (Aperol).
'Richmond Council supported the event on Richmond Green so we will be trying again for 2028. There is also a strong precedent for an annual event on the Green, that has live music and much later closing times.
'Old Deer Park is unfortunately not an option for us this year, so we are actively looking for a new venue. We will do a social media poll to get our loyal followers involved in the decision!'
The Daily Mail has approached Richmond upon Thames Council for comment.
Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment