DUBAI // Organisers of the New Year's Eve Sandance concert say all ticketholders will be given a full refund after many missed the event due to traffic chaos on the Palm Jumeirah.
On Thursday evening organisers said they were “extremely sorry for the huge inconvenience” to all guests.
“We understand that many guests wanted to enjoy Sandance on this special night and were unable to reach the venue or experienced significant traffic delays,” they said on the official Sandance website and Facebook page.
“The situation was influenced by different factors that were not entirely owned by us.
“However, feedback from our guests is extremely important to us and we are taking action to reimburse all New Year’s Eve Sandance ticketholders the full ticket value.”
Hundreds of people missed the concert, which featured artists including Emeli Sande and Paul Oakenfold, after shuttle buses were refused entry by police on to the Palm shortly before midnight because the record-breaking fireworks display was about to start.
Ticketholders were told before the event that buses travelling on a dedicated lane from the American University in Dubai were the only way to get to the festival at Atlantis, The Palm, in a trip taking about 10 minutes.
The bus lane does not seem to have been enforced and the buses were caught in traffic gridlock.
After spending hours aboard the bus, many with tickets chose to abandon the trip altogether.
Others were forced to walk along the Palm to the festival and did not arrive until well after midnight.
Before the event, organisers said they expected more than 17,000 to attend.
On Thursday organisers could not confirm how many of the tickets, which cost between Dh450 and Dh600, had been sold.
More than 500 angry messages were posted on Sandance’s official Facebook page demanding a refund.
Ticketholders have been told to visit SandanceNYE2013.com between Monday, January 6, and Sunday, January 12, to fill in a form and receive their refunds.
Every ticketholder has also been promised 50 per cent discounts on tickets for the next Sandance.
ksinclair@thenational.ae