A music festival in Sheffield has been criticised by attendees who said long queues, overcrowding and accessibility problems turned parts of the weekend into a “shambles”. The complaints matter because several people said the experience failed to match what had been promised for higher-priced VIP tickets, while the council said it would keep monitoring future events in the city.

90s Fest was held at Don Valley Bowl last weekend, featuring acts including UB40, 5ive and Vengaboys. One regular attendee said he and his wife paid £115 each for VIP tickets but found the VIP areas overcrowded, with bar queues of about 50 people in each of six lines and toilets so busy they were unusable; another attendee said some people waited up to 90 minutes for toilets. Two wheelchair users also said there was no disabled platform, leaving them effectively stuck in one place for six hours, although Sheffield City Council said the event was never judged to pose a public safety risk and that organisers had welcomed feedback.