Music festival causes chaos at Kinsmen field

Part of Kinsmen field was closed because the grass was destroyed during an outdoor music festival over the weekend.

The inaugural Chaos Music Festival took place Friday and Saturday. On the second day, a summer storm suddenly hit, soaking concert-goers.

A decision was made to move attendees to Kinsmen Sports Centre but the festival resumed later in the afternoon.

Once attendees returned, the field had become a mud pit.

“Given the wet conditions and the large number people at this weekend’s Chaos AB music festival, turf damage was not unexpected,” a City of Edmonton spokesperson wrote in a statement to Global News.

The process of taking down the festival was delayed by a day so as not to cause further damage.

On Monday, the fields were still closed to the public due to safety concerns as tear down took place.

One baseball game was cancelled as a result of the field conditions. The Edmonton Huskies said their camp was delayed by one week but that they were aware of the change ahead of time.

“We are working with the City of Edmonton in the restoration of any damages to the grass and field as outlined in our original agreement with the Festival and Events team at Kinsmen Park,” a spokesperson for the festival wrote in a statement.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are working with the City of Edmonton in the restoration of any damages to the grass and field as outlined in our original agreement with the Festival and Events team at Kinsmen Park," a spokesperson for the festival wrote in a statement.

The festival will be responsible for paying to fix the grass, though the city did not have a cost estimate for the work.

Remediation is expected to be complete in time for the next event at Kinsmen on Aug. 10.