Mean Fiddler becomes Festival Republic

United Kingdom | | 14 August 2007

One of the UK's most established festival promoters, Mean Fiddler, has sold off its name to become Festival Republic.

As part of the undisclosed deal with the MAMA Group PLC, the company has sold several of its smaller London venues, including the Borderline, Jazz Café, The Garage, the Old Fiddler, G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late Club.

Former Mean Fiddler Managing Director, Melvin Benn, told Virtual Festivals that the rebrand was designed to refocus the company on music festivals and its bigger London venues, the Astoria and Astoria 2.

The rebranded firm's portfolio of festivals, including Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Rise and a stake in Glastonbury, will be run by the same team, just under the new name Festival Republic.

Benn vowed that none of the festivals will be affected in any way by the change in name of the company.

Mean Fiddler was created by Vince Power in the 1980s and is best known for developing the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds festivals into one of the UK's leading live music brands.

In 2002 it took over the operational management of Glastonbury and has since conceived the highly successful Latitude festival. The company was also responsible for Fleadh, Phoenix and the Jazz Cafe Picnic In The Park festivals.

It was sold two years ago in a joint deal between US firm Live Nation, which owns Download and several European festivals, and MCD, which has a stake in several UK festivals including V Festival and T In The Park.

Melvin Benn received the Outstanding Contribution Award at last year's UK Festival Awards. Stay posted for a full and frank interview with the MD of the new Festival Republic, coming soon...