Early on May 18th, rumours started to float about Pemberton Music Festival’s apparent cancellation. The news originally broke on Reddit within a thread on the official Pemberton sub-reddit. The original post cited a story on the CFOX radio station out of Vancouver that the festival had apparently cancelled it’s 2017 dates due to financial concerns.
As the news started to float around the internet, it quickly exploded, with social media abuzz and users on Twitter wondering what the heck was going on? Reports started flooding in from all sources, until the official news broke via CKNW. Their article stated that “documents obtained by Global News and CKNW from accounting firm Ernst & Young show that ‘decreased ticket sales and increased operating losses’ have forced the festival to apply for bankruptcy….the festival also owes its creditors approximately $2.5 million U.S.”
With the breaking news circuiting social media, questions again exploded regarding refunds and the future of the festival, and unfortunately, the news isn’t good. The bankruptcy of Pemberton currently states that no refunds are issuing at this time. Since then, there have been updates to the ticket holder FAQ to reflect this policy. In the Shambhala Music Festival group, someone shared an interaction trying to obtain ticket refunds. The comment stated that they tried to contact their credit card company, which told them to contact Ticketfly. Ticketfly has yet to receive an official statement from PMF cancelling the festival. After PMF confirms and Ticketfly sends the official email (which should be in the next 24 hours), you will most likely be able to to ask your creditor about a refund (but, who knows how long that could take).
We reached out to a representative from the festival who declined to comment at this time.
Pemberton Music Festival debuted in 2008, and took a prompt break until its return in 2014 with acts like Nine Inch Nails, Outkast, and Soundgarden. The festivals all had critical reception, but overall favorable reviews. After the stabbing of a festival patron in 2015, along with multiple concerns regarding intoxicated incidents, many began to question the festival’s practices.
We’re sad to hear of this development, and will update with any more relevant information, so watch this space! What do you think, readers? Any input you can offer in the comment section? Who’s making other plans now? What other festivals would you recommend in place of PMF? Let us know in the comments!
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