Katrina Larkin resigns as Creative Director of The Big Chill

Katrina Larkin, co-founder of The Big Chill Festival has resigned from her role as Creative Director.

Last year Festival Republic took ownership of The Big Chill Festival which celebrated its sixteenth anniversary this year and was co-produced by Festival Republic and the existing Big Chill team.

Katrina Larkin who co-founded with Pete Lawrence in 1994 has made the following statement.

"It's obviously a very significant step for me to take but it is one that was agreed last year when Festival Republic bought The Big Chill Festival.

Throughout the negotiations, both Melvin and I felt that it would be best if I maintained involvement in the festival on a creative, consultative level to ensure as smooth and successful a transition as possible.

We intentionally didn't put a time limit on this process, as it is something that is impossible to predict with any accuracy. Instead, we chose to wait until both of us felt happy that the time was right for the festival.

It's a massive demonstration of Melvin's professionalism and passion for festivals, that after one year we both feel completely happy to finalise the transition.

The whole team at Festival Republic should receive both plaudits and awards for the sensitive and successful manner in which they have overseen what has been an organic evolution of an already extraordinary festival. From day one, they have fully understood the heritage of innovation, experimentation, creativity and escapism that needed to be upheld as the UK’s first boutique festival. I feel completely happy that I'm leaving The Big Chill in the safest pair of hands in the country.

I would also like to thank Melvin for the manner in which he has conducted what could have been a difficult process for us both. I'm incredibly happy that, in keeping with the spirit of the Big Chill Festival, our relationship has remained so friendly - so much so that I'll be cycling across Kenya with Melvin for ten days in November in aid of The Kenyan Orphan Project.

The Big Chill is 16 years old so perhaps now is the perfect time fully to let go and allow it to grow on its own. I am incredibly proud of the things we’ve achieved and will cherish the thousands of golden moments that I’ve been privileged to share with the Big Chillers down the years from the first festival in the Black Mountains in '94 to the moment I found myself standing naked in a field with a thousand naked black and blue, red & yellow chillers last year!

I'm off now to explore other opportunities in life and, of course, to continue my work with the Big Chill Bar Group."

This means that Festival Republic have now taken complete control of the festival. Katrina Larkin and Festival Republic boss Melvin Benn will be spending the next ten days in Kenya raising funds for one of Festival Republic's charity partners, Kenyan Orphan Project.

'Making Tracks' has been organised by Kenyan Orphan Project (KOP) and will see over 50 riders, including a 13-strong team from Festival Republic, cycle from Nairobi to Kisumu (435kms) in just 5 days.

The dates for The Big Chill 2011 are expected to be from Thursday 4th until Sunday 7th August at the site which has four lakes, thick woods and an arboretum at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire.

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