Following from The Mancunion’s recent exposé of Pangaea’s astronomical financial losses, Acitvities Officer Kitty Bartlett has admitted that its financial situation is “not ideal” and that the festival polarises opinion as it “does not cater for all students”.
The Mancunion revealed that Pangaea had racked up losses of over £120,000 since at least June 2016, and various members of staff at the SU attributed this to lack of financial tracking combined with a decreased level of interest in the festival.
This is something Kitty denies, however. She told The Mancunion that “we still have a large group of students that care about Pangaea and who are working towards making the next edition amazing”, however conceded that opinions would differ depending on who we asked.
When asked why she thought the losses were so high, she responded vaguely that there “are a number of reasons why Pangaea has lost money in the past”, and also pointed out that the union is a in a strong enough financial position to support it.
The festival has already had indications of it being eased out, with the January instalment recently being cancelled, bringing its usual total of festivals down from three to two over the course of the academic year.
Staff at the students’ union have impressed upon The Mancunion the value of student experience, and the fact that students can get involved with the creation of the festival, as well as attending on the night.
