Shambhala announced last Friday that it will be delaying the virtual iteration of the festival originally scheduled for July 23-25, following sexual assault allegations levied against Billy Kenny.
The British DJ faced accusations from fans and others in recent days, ranging from inappropriately grabbing a woman in 2017, to allegations of rape and sexual assault.
That led to Shambhala initially choosing to remove him from their virtual lineup, before ultimately deciding to postpone the festival altogether, as well as pause their social media presence “to allow our team to take the necessary time to review our code of conduct, including all our harm reduction strategies in the days ahead.”
The festival also vowed to begin enacting a series of steps for all future events, including “extensive background checks for artists,” a zero-tolerance policy for assault, staff training on conducting sexual harassment and violence investigations, compiling “in-depth consent training manuals” for guests, crew, and artists, and additional training for all staff members on how to handle allegations “promptly and appropriately.”
“The industry needs to changes. We need to change,” Shambhala said in a lengthy statement posted to their social media accounts.
Important update regarding harm reduction and Shambhala at Home ? pic.twitter.com/jn6q971Z5j
— Shambhala Music Festival (@shambhala_mf) July 17, 2020
Bass Coast released a similar statement of its own, affirming its commitment to transparency, communication, and community conversations surrounding sexual assault within the music and festival industry.
Shambhala has yet to provide an update on when it will be providing dates for its rescheduled virtual festival.
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