Fridae

This year's annual London Mardi Gras, which is in fact one of Europe's leading gay festivals may be overshadowed by a new outfit, according to The Observer. And to the horror of its critics, the new London event is run by a straight man who only has commercial in the festival.

Purple in the Park, the brainchild of Twysden Moore, a heterosexual businessman who runs a popular nightclub and gay radio station has reportedly snared many of the older festival's acts.

Moore's upstart festival will also take place earlier than Mardi Gras and in a venue closer to the centre of town. The day-long event which includes a fun fair, sports arena, shopping village, main stage acts and several dance tents will be held on 6 July while Purple in the Park which is essentially dance party will be held on 1 June.

"My interest is not to do down Mardi Gras," Moore told the paper. "Mardi Gras grew out of being a local event into an international one, and people in London felt it had lost something. I decided to remedy that."

Competition between the two festivals has already split the gay community: some admire Moore's bravado while others are critical of a straight man who is undermining a gay rights institution.

Mardi Gras has moved out to Hackney Marshes in east London for the first time this year and it will now take place a month after Purple in the Park after failing to secure a new home in the Millennium Dome and unable to rebook last year's Finsbury Park venue.

The festival will now take place a month after Purple in the Park. Moore quickly shifted Purple in the Park from mid-August to the weekend of the Queen's jubilee starting 1 June, making it the first festival on the gay calendar.

"We are an official jubilee event, by appointment from Buckingham Palace, so we shall certainly be making the most of the timing," said Moore. "All I did was avoid having sloppy seconds."

Mardi Gras festival director Jason Pollock does not admit defeat. "Hackney Marshes is one of London's best kept secrets, with great transport links," he said, "while Brockwell Park, the Purple venue, is much smaller and much quieter, so we rejected it."

While both events are run for profit, the Mardi Gras emerged from the ashes of the original annual Pride parade and festival which wound up after it faced bankruptcy in 1997. Although both events are separate, the parade is now organised and paid for by Mardi Gras in conjunction with other associates.

Mardi Gras managed to stay in the black by attracting big-name singing stars and club DJs. This year, it hopes to attract 85,000 visitors and soon plans to start putting money back into gay causes and charities.

Purple in the Park, in contrast, is a purely commercial entertainment event. Due to Moore's clubland connections, some of the big-name clubs including Heaven, DTPM, Coco Latt� and Crash will be hosting dance tents exclusively at the event.