Wireless festival to finish early for Euros final

1 month ago 40

48 minutes ago

By Manish Pandey, BBC Newsbeat

Getty Images Doja Cat, a female artist with a microphone in her right hand and a white cap while singing.Getty Images

Paint the Town Red singer Doja Cat will still be performing a full set, organisers say

Wireless festival has announced it will end early on Sunday to give fans "plenty of time to travel home" to watch the Euro 2024 final.

The three-day rap, R&B and hip-hop festival in Finsbury Park, London, opens later, with Nicki Minaj due to top Friday's line-up.

But organisers announced in an Instagram post that Sunday headliner Doja Cat's set had been brought forward to allow the event to finish at 19:00 BST.

The football clash between England and Spain kicks off an hour later at 20:00.

There were unhappy reactions from many festivalgoers, who questioned why the match couldn’t be shown on big screens.

One said showing the game at the festival would "have been a vibe".

"Ending a festival at 7pm is ludicrous," another commented on Instagram.

"What does football have to do with a music festival?" another asked.

Two big acts - Tyla and Digga D - were due to perform on Sunday but have pulled out since their appearances were first announced.

Wireless's organisers had yet to announce replacement acts for the pair.

Rapper Digga D is currently facing drug charges and South African artist Tyla announced the cancellation of her world tour earlier this year because of a serious injury.

Rappers Flo Milli and Veeze also pulled out of Friday's line-up, but have been replaced by NSG and Kairo Keyz.

Organisers said Doja Cat would still perform a full set despite the early time of her headline set.

Getty Images Nicki Minaj, a female artist dressed in black, singing into a microphone while glancing upwardsGetty Images

Barbie World artist Nicki Minaj will be headlining on Friday

Other acts over the weekend include 21 Savage, J Hus, Sean Paul, Gunna, Future, Rema and Uncle Waffles.

The festival has also promised "surprise acts" to over the course of the weekend.

About 50,000 fans head to Wireless each year.

The festival also announced single-use disposable vapes were not allowed and could be confiscated.

Last year, Wireless signed a five-year deal with Haringey Council to be held in Finsbury Park every summer until at least 2027.

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