The Big Chill 2012 music festival cancelled

This year's Big Chill music festival has been cancelled.

Managing director Melvin Benn has decided that due to a clash with the London 2012 Olympics and the lack of artists available to perform at the event, it will take a year off and return in 2013.

In a statement posted on the festival's official website, Benn explained: "It is with a considerable amount of regret that I have decided not to go ahead with The Big Chill in 2012.

"I looked long and hard late last year at moving the date so it didn't clash with the Olympics but the mix of the festival fans' desire to keep the date and an inability to find an alternative date that works [meant] I plumped for maintaining the existing weekend."

He added: "Sadly, the artist availability and confirmations we were achieving led me to conclude that I couldn't risk going ahead with the event as an outdoor event this year.

"Efforts are being made to look to bring a smaller event indoors this year with the anticipation of Big Chill being back outdoors in 2013."

Last year's Big Chill festival included a headline slot from Kanye West and a tribute to Amy Winehouse from her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield.

The Big Chill usually takes place at the beginning of August at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire.