Hayling Kitesurfing Festival: Council says 'no guarantee' it will be allowed to take place next year

The Kitesurfing Armada Festival is held in September in the Solent off Hayling Island.

It has grown over the years - and has previously been attended by Richard Branson - but Havant Borough Council, which licenses the event, has said it is ‘not guaranteed for next year’ as the authority has heard nothing from the organisers.

This year's event was due to take place from September 9 to September 11 but was cancelled in August. The organisers said then that it was called off due to ‘licensing issues’.

The festival attracts 15,000 people to the southern coast of Hayling Island and is branded as ‘Europe's No1 Kitesurfing and Music Festival’.

Council chief executive Kim Sawyer previously stated the organisers were ‘cutting it fine’ with a late premises licence application and that the event needed £43,000 in order to go ahead.

The council had considered – but discounted – offering £10,000 to enable the event to happen but said that it would not risk the higher amount.

When asked about the future of the event, a council spokesperson said: ‘We have not heard anything from the event organisers yet about their plans for next year.

‘There has not yet been any discussion and the event is not guaranteed for next year.’

Councillor Leah Turner, member for Hayling East and chairman of the licensing committee said she would be ‘really sorry if it doesn’t go ahead next year’.

She added: ‘Kitesurfing is quite specialist it obviously appeals to younger people who are interested in watersports but I know that lots of people locally like to go to it, to look at the entertainment, to look at the kitesurfing.

‘They also have a children’s day where local school children are invited and they’re taught about the environment.

‘It is an important part of an annual calendar and I would be very sorry if we didn’t have it again.’

The event organisers and the British Kitesurfing association were both approached for comment but did not respond.