'We've not gone bust,' say organisers

An ambitious Olympics-based festival featuring the likes of Alan Davies, Dylan Moran and Milton Jones has been shelved.

The Scipmylo event – Olympics backwards – had been due to take place on Hackney Marshes, on the edge of the London Games site at the same time as the athletics.

However, organisers have unexpectedly stopped selling tickets, and issued refunds to those who had already bought them.

Financial issues are said to be at the root of the decision, but the official website insists: ‘Contrary to the rumours going around Scipmylo has not gone bust.’

Organisers blamed ‘reasons beyond our control’ for putting the festival on hold but said the event may yet go ahead ‘in some form.’

‘We do hope to be able to restart, but think it only fair not to sell any further tickets whilst we sort things out,’ they added. ‘We are working hard behind the scenes to bring Scipmylo to you this summer and apologise for the uncertainty.’

Ticket-holders will be contacted by agency Ticketmaster for refunds.

The multi-arts event had been backed by free newspaper Metro, which could have given it a huge publicity boost.

Other comics due to have taken part included Ardal O’Hanlon, Greg Burns and Rudi Lickwood’s Urban Comedy Collective. The event would also have offered local residents the chance to watch Olympic events on a big screen.

Published: 3 Jun 2012