A FRIENDS group has criticised Cardiff Council over how it has gone about putting plans in place for a series of music events at the city’s largest park.
Cardiff Council put in a licensing application for Blackweir Fields which, if approved, will allow it to host live music events of up to 35,000 people in anticipation of a set of gigs taking place this summer marketed as Blackweir Live.
However, plans which will see popular artists such as Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette and Stevie Wonder play at the park over a number of days in June and July have come under fire ever since tickets went on sale.
Friends of Bute Park is the latest group to come out in criticism of the way the event has been organised, saying there was no public consultation on plans that will lead to “vast swathes” of parkland being denied to residents and visitors for a large part of the summer.
In their statement, the friends group also say grass and sports pitches will “inevitably suffer damage” and that recent tree felling activity was not needed.
Cardiff Council denied that it hadn’t informed Friends of Bute Park about the possibility of live concerts at Blackweir before they were announced and said there needs to be balance between building a thriving economy and “managing the expectations of some residents and park users”.
The local authority’s cabinet member for culture, sport and parks, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said the council had engaged with a number of groups about Blackweir Live and that it is a “vocal minority” who are frustrated.
At a recent full council meeting, she added: “If you want to live in a undisrupted utopia, that is not going to happen in a capital city and there has to be a balance between attracting… major events, building a thriving economy… with the needs of residents.”
Friends of Bute Park said in their recent statement: “We are not opposed to the use of parkland for commercial events; they have taken place for many years and we do not aspire to live in Councillor Burke’s ‘undisrupted utopia’… However, we do think that the addition of Blackweir Live to the crowded summer events programme is tipping the balance the wrong way.”
They also said that in a meeting with council officers in December, “it was ‘agreed that the council had not been able to consult or inform residents as they should have done due to pressure to sign (the) contract quickly’.
“This suggests that the council is willing to bow to the demands of commercial promoters.”
Tickets for the Kings of Leon gig planned for Blackweir Live went on pre-sale in December 2024.
A licensing application for Blackweir Fields was published on the council’s website in February 2025.
Cardiff Castle and Coopers Field are already used for a number of events, including live music events, during the summer months.
Cricket teams and leagues who use Blackweir Fields have already expressed concern over the impact that the gigs will have on their future.
Cardiff Council said access to Blackweir Fields will be restricted during the concerts and for a limited period either side to allow for set up and break down.
The Noah Kahan, Kings of Leon and Courteeners gigs will be taking place on Friday, June 27 and Sunday June 29.
Alanis Morissette, Slayer and Stevie Wonder will be playing at Blackweir on Wednesday, July 2; Thursday, July 3 and Wednesday, July 9 respectively.
A council spokesperson said: “The majority of the 130 acres that make up Bute Park – ‘vast swathes’ – will remain accessible to the public throughout this period.”
They added that all Depot Live gigs originally planned to take place on Coopers Field later in the summer have been relocated to Cardiff Castle and that money from the Blackweir Live gigs will be reinvested into maintaining parks.
Another matter that Friends of Bute Park raised in their statement was Cardiff Council’s decision to fell a number of trees on the edge of Blackweir Fields.
At the time the work was reported in March, the local authority said it was necessary as part of standard risk management and that the trees selected for felling were either dead or affected by ash dieback.
However, a number of people including one ecologist and Friends of Bute Park in a statement, said they didn’t think the work was was necessary.
A site plan of the Blackweir Live event on Oxfam’s website shows a pedestrian access at the location where trees were felled.
The Friends of Bute Park statement added: “During the recent walkaround with officers from the parks and events team it became clear that the ecologist was primarily tasked with identifying locations for the six to eight new access bridges for the concert, rather than conducting conservation work.
“The ecologist was not asked to assess which trees needed felling for safety reasons but was instead focused on finding sites for the bridges.
“While the trees may have shown signs of ash dieback, most could have been left as standing deadwood since they did not pose a risk to the public.
“The officers present did not want to, or were unable to, explain the construction of the proposed footbridges, as that was in the remit of the engineers. And nobody wanted to respond to ‘Why hold it here at all?’
“Similarly, the removal of invasive species like rhododendron has been limited to the immediate bridge sites, with areas between the proposed bridges remaining overgrown.
“This approach seems futile from a conservation standpoint. Furthermore, Councillor Burke confirmed that the concert organisers funded these works.”
Cardiff Council said it and its parks department are “immensely proud” of its parks and green spaces and recognises their importance.
The local authority also said Friends of Bute Park are an important part of the Bute Park community and that it will continue to engage with them to try and address their concerns.
A spokesperson added: “Contrary to what is being claimed, the possibility for new events in the park was first brought to the attention of The Friends of Bute Park on June 27, 2024 – via email to the chair.
“A Teams meeting was held on the next day where the chair was updated on the Blackweir Live proposals, and the proposals to publish a prior information notice for Bute Park Visitor Centre & Nursery.
“The council has met with the friends on several occasions since and has provided several updates via email.
“In summary the friends group were first made aware of the Blackweir events on June 28, last year. We have sought to keep them informed as more information became available.
“Blackweir Fields is an established events space that has been available for commercial hire for many years and has successfully hosted large-scale events in the past, including firework displays and activities taking place as part of the Olympics and the Eisteddfod.
“The event promoters approached the council with a view to hiring Blackweir Fields for a series of outdoor, green field concerts similar to those held in Hyde Park in London during the summer months.
“This type of event is popular with the ticket-buying public and offers a very different experience to stadium-based gigs.
“It will see world-renowned acts like Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morrissette, Noah Kahan, Slayer, and Kings of Leon perform in Blackweir on just five dates this summer.
“These five gigs could see over 30,000 people enjoy each concert in a spectacular setting in the heart of the city, boosting Cardiff’s profile and helping deliver on the council’s Music City ambitions.
“Public access to Blackweir Fields will only be restricted during the concerts and for a limited period either side to allow for set up and break down.
“However, the majority of the 130 acres that make up Bute Park – ‘vast swathes’ – will remain accessible to the public throughout this period.
“In addition, all Depot Live gigs originally planned to take place on Coopers Field later in the summer have been relocated to Cardiff Castle, freeing up more park space for visitors.
“The tree works that have been carried out in the area are necessary to ensure public safety for the events and have been carried out under the close supervision of an independent ecologist.
“All trees that have been felled were diseased or dead and would have had to have been felled irrespective of whether the festival happened or not.
“Some other trees and stems have been coppiced to create access points for the events. This coppicing work is only being done on suitable, healthy trees which can recover and regrow.
“It involves cutting them back to ground level. Coppicing encourages regeneration and regrowth over time and can make trees stronger.
“Coppicing – even to this level which is required in this case to enable access – does not kill trees, and it can result in overall improvements in biodiversity. It’s also worth noting that off the back of the events we will have funding to invest in the park.
“As outlined above, the Blackweir Live events will help the city deliver on its Cardiff Music City ambitions.
“We recognise it’s important that a balance is achieved between building a thriving economy, using the money the council receives from the events to reinvest in our parks, and our grassroots music venues, while managing the expectations of some residents and park users.
“We hope this can all be achieved successfully while continuing to boost Cardiff’s status as a great events destination, a city with award-winning parks, and a city which is known for both.”
