Music fans left disappointed as curfew finishes Diaspora Calling! Festival at Milton Keynes Bowl during Fugees' set

Music fans voiced their disappointment as the Diaspora Calling! festival at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes was ended early to avoid breaching curfew.

The sound was cut during a set by the Fugees at around 11pm, with a message on side-stage video screens saying that they show had been finished due to the venue’s strict curfew.

A message on the screens read, “THANK YOU EVERYONE”. We’re sorry for the abrupt finish. As part of our licence we are legally required to finish the show at 11pm and cannot continue beyond this time. Thank you for being part of an incredible day. We hope you’ve had an amazing time. Please take care, look after one another, and have a safe journey home. See you next time!”

The festival, which drew a crowd in excess of 30,000 people to the site in Milton Keynes, was billed as a celebration of the culture of Africa and its global diaspora, with singer Lauryn Hill as a key presence in organising the event and headlining the show.

Performers included Wyclef Jean, Giggs, Fireboy DML, Erykah Badu and comedian Dave Chappelle, who was a host.

Hill and Jean had been performing songs by The Fugees as part of the event’s finale and had been planning to perform for longer when the sound was cut.

Jean told The Sun newspaper, “We’re really sad how it ended. We was just getting started, so we’re hoping to continue next year.”

The abrupt ending lead to many voicing their opinion of what happened. One Instagram user simply dubbed the event the “worst festival ever”.

One Reddit user said, “The ending was ridiculous and catastrophic. Never saw this in my life. Shame on the production.”

Another said, “What we saw of it was great and I can only imagine what the rest of the show would bring before it got cut off, but the performances were great! And was in awe really, It did feel a bit disorganised though, the ending felt anti climatic!”

Others were critical of Hill for starting late, however. One fan said, “The ending was ridiculous and spoiled the whole experience for me. It was meant to be 30Th anniversary of the album and all we got is DJ set and like 2 tracks from the score. I don’t think I will ever pay for her gig again.”

Another Redditor joked, “I am going to start a tribute act simply called Lauryn Hill But Actually On Time. I’ll find a cover singer and a backing band. We’ll show up, start the concert on the dot, play all the hits for an hour, then peace out.”