DJ sets cancelled at Reading and Leeds festivals as overcrowding forces Warehouse stage closures

Reading and Leeds festivals' new dance-focused stages, both called The Warehouse, were forced to close at multiple points due to overcrowding and safety concerns this past weekend.

The annual late August bank holiday festivals, both running 27th through 30th August, experienced larger-than-expected interest in the purpose-built electronic music areas , announced in March, in efforts to attract wider audiences . On Friday, the 28th, Reading festival cancelled Prospa and Skepta 's back-to-back DJ set for safety concerns, according to the Reading Chronicle . (Skepta's main stage performance at Reading went on as planned despite rain.)

"We have seen this happen before at larger festivals in the UK", Prospa wrote in an Instagram story, later shared by tech house community Haven. "It's time to double the capacity of these tents or put dance music on the main stage."

Leeds festival shut The Warehouse on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th, Far Out magazine reports , with Julian Fijma's Saturday afternoon set cut short. "Unfortunately, we had to shut the stage down", Fijma wrote on social media, via Far Out . "There was way too many people outside, and yeah, we couldn’t keep going. But I’ll be back soon." Videos Fijma posted of his Leeds set before the halt show a packed house dancing to Grace's 'Not Over Yet (Perfecto Remix)' .

The later Leeds closure affected another shared Skepta performance: the grime star's Saturday night back-to-back with East End Dubs was also called off. "Unfortunately my set with East End Dubs tonight has been cancelled due to crowd safety concerns", Skepta wrote on Instagram Saturday, via Reading Chronicle . "It's a shame, my set with Prospa was cancelled for the same reasons yesterday. Was looking forward to both. Sorry to everyone who came down, appreciate you all."

Riordan, Omar+, Locky, Alisha and Silva Bumpa were among the other artists affected by the cancellations across the two festivals. "So sorry Leeds Fest, but due to overcrowding my set was cancelled last min[ute]", Silva Bumpa wrote on Instagram, according to Manchester Evening News . "I was just behind the stage and got told right before. Such a massive shame." Alisha wrote: "Set is officially cancelled due to safety of the stage. So sorry Leeds Festival, it’s not the DJ's fault. I’m absolutely gutted" (via Yorkshire Evening Post ).

DJs weren't the only ones expressing disappointment at The Warehouse stages' inability to cope with demand, festivalgoers were "furious". One fan named Lily told Yorkshire Evening Post , "Honest truth? Furious! I think it's not right. We've been standing here for a two-hour wait to get in, just for us to get round the corner, and then they're like, 'Oh, it's cancelled, they're not playing". Another attendee named Simon added, "I'm disappointed. My sense of things is that they've called it wrong. They have underestimated the popularity of dance music, quite frankly."

Leeds festival managed to shift some DJ sets to the LS23 stage, according to Haven , with Mall Grab, Rossi and Riordan able to give the weekender a "huge final run" on Sunday — see clips here .