A tongue-in-cheek music festival will not be allowed at Colchester’s Castle Park this year... as the council can only host three loud music events a year there.

Organisers of Colchester’s Nearly Festival were told about a late switch of venue after selling hundreds of tickets for the event set to be held in August.

The two-day festival was due to take place at Castle Park on August 3 and 4, but Colchester Council’s premises licence means only three concerts can be held there each year.

With Sir Tom Jones and Craig David already scheduled to perform, along with Tears for Fears, it means the tribute act festival cannot be held at the park.

After two years in Colchester the Nearly Festival has now been moved to Old Heath Recreation Ground.

Event organiser Danny Banthorpe said: “It’s such a shame, especially as our policy is to finish on Saturday at 9pm and Sunday at 8pm.

“We are really disappointed to be moving from the fantastic Castle Park but it’s not all doom and gloom, we are being moved to another great location in the town.”

The festival usually attracts about 3,000 people. Headliners have included live tributes to The Prodigy, Oasis, Queen, Bob Marley, Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Those who already bought tickets for this year’s event have been notified about the change of venue.

Danny added: “We are confident in the event and feel we could put this on anywhere and still have a great time.

“We are moving just a mile or two away and can also have a car park which we couldn’t offer before.

“We’ve enjoyed two amazing years in Castle Park. It was a struggle in the first year building the trust from the public, but have enjoyed great support ever since.

“Just as we build momentum we have to move which is frustrating, but we are moving to another great site in the town so we remain upbeat.”

A spokesperson for Colchester Amphora Trading Limited said the premises licence only permits three concerts each year at a 65db sound level.

They said: “As we already have three major music events planned for Castle Park this year, and because we want to provide a diverse music and entertainment programme for Colchester utilising our range of fantastic outdoor spaces, we have worked with the organisers to hold an appropriately-licensed event at Old Heath Recreation Ground instead.”

This year’s line-up includes copies of Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Britpop, Ed Sheeran, The Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson and the Spice Girls. The main charity partner is St Helena Hospice.

Residents who live next to Old Heath Recreation Ground will be offered free tickets. Visit www.nearlyfestival.com.