Statements from young people performing at the Godiva Festival in Coventry

Authorities in Coventry have announced they will review their policies for a popular festival following reports of young people going out on a limb at this year’s event.

People took to social media after the Govida Festival to discuss various incidents, including one they said caused a stage at the festival to be shut down.

Several people commented saying they had never seen anything like this before and claimed the incident involved over 100 youths.

The council, which organizes the event, said safety is their top priority and added that they analyze feedback after each event.

The festival, which marked its 25th edition, was held at War Memorial Park from July 5-7.

Some said the incidents forced them to leave early and delayed their return.

Others, however, said they had a good time, describing it as amazing and brilliant.

This is not the first time that problems have been reported at the festival.

Similar concerns were raised about youth gangs last year, and a crush in 2019 resulted in 11 people being treated for minor injuries.

In 2017, a 16-year-old was arrested for carrying a knife to the festival.

Richard Ashcroft, Paloma Faith and Beverley Knight were among the performers this year.

A Coventry City Council spokesman said organizers are looking at all feedback, including comments on social media, and this is being used to make decisions for future events.

They said they were working with a security contractor, West Midlands Police and other organisations, adding that the safety of attendees was their top priority and the entire site was under surveillance at all times.

“We would like to reassure attendees that the Godiva Festival is a safe environment for festival-goers of all ages,” they said.

They added: “We are committed to making sure the festival is accessible, engaging and safe for everyone.”

They apologized to those who were affected by the negative behavior and said they would work to ensure that the small minority did not spoil it for others.