The council has confirmed that the organisers of a new three day music festival in Exeter this spring have advertised and sold tickets for the event before applying or being granted a licence to host it.
Since September 2024, Mirror Image Tribute Festival has been promoting details of six tribute act festivals across the country in 2025. They include two in Devon; Heavitree Pleasure Ground in Exeter from May 2 to 4, and Ilfracombe Rugby Ground on June 1.
Details of the gigs have been splashed across its Facebook page and website with day tickets being sold for £21.85 for adults and £11.05 for children aged three to 17 years old. Organisers have also posted details of the Devon events on numerous local community Facebook pages.
However, Exeter City Council (ECC) – which owns Heavitree Pleasure Ground – has confirmed it only received an application this week from the organisers to host the event. It has confirmed a decision will be made in ‘due course’.
Heavitree Pleasure Ground in Exeter
(Image: DevonLive)
An Exeter City Council spokesman said: “An application for a premises licence was received on Tuesday morning, January 7. As an application has been made it will have to go through the statutory consultation procedures with the responsible authorities.
“The application will be advertised at the premises, in the newspaper and on our website. Anybody that wishes to make representations on how this application will affect them can do so within the next 28 days.”
The application has been submitted by Live in the South Ltd. The director is listed, according to Companies House, as 36-year-old David John Rowland, better known as David Rowland Junior, the eighth generation of the renowned Devon-based Rowland’s funfair family.
He is also listed as director of Carousel Bars and Extreme Events Ltd. The latter was behind the Devonshire Balloon and Music Festival, a two-day hot-air balloon festival held at Exeter Racecourse in May 2024, which disappointed some families who attended.
Mr Rowland is listed as having resigned as a director of Rowlands Events Ltd – who ran Exeter’s Winter Wonderland in 2024 and 2023 – and Rowland’s Funfairs Ltd, last month, December 2024.
David Rowland and Sons Funfair at Plymouth Prince Rock in 2021
(Image: Erin Black/Plymouth Live)
Ilfracombe Rugby Club has confirmed it has given permission for its venue to be used for the advertised one-day tribute festival. Questions about the authenticity of the Exeter tribute act festival have been raised by members of the public on Mirror Image Tribute Festival’s Facebook page under a post uploaded on December 22, advertising its shows.
It prompted ECC to respond in the comments that it had received an application for the event but it had not yet been approved.
Below a public comment that read “scam!!”, the organisers responded stating: “This really isn’t a scam. DM us if you have any questions.”
The same person publicly asked if it had permission from ECC and what would happen to other events on that weekend at the pleasure ground such as the Junior Park Run and Park Yoga. No response was received or to a comment made by another resident last week asking for details of the tribute acts so that they could see the “quality” of them.
The billed line-up for the Exeter event includes performers impersonating the likes of Robbie Williams, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Freddie Mercury, Spice Girls, Oasis, Eminem, Ed Sheeran and Amy Winehouse.
A licence is being sought by Live in the South Ltd for live music, recorded music, dance or ‘anything similar’ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10.30pm, and for permission to sell alcohol during those hours.
The deadline for comments to be received by the council is February 4. For more details, please click here.
Live in the South Ltd has been approached by DevonLive for a comment.