Epicenter Festival backlash ensues over set cancellations, traffic issues
In its first year, Epicenter Festival has proven to have experienced some hiccups. Between canceling some of the headlining acts on Saturday evening due to weather, to intense traffic problems, Carolina Rebellion’s replacement is now facing the opinions of hundreds of angry festival goers.
Now, some patrons have taken to social media to express their concerns about Danny Wimmer‘s North Carolina festival.
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Problems started to arise for Epicenter Festival on Saturday night when they were forced to pull the plug early because of dangerous weather. Because of the cancellation, Judas Priest, Tool and more were forced to forfeit their sets.
“For the safety of fans, artists, and staff, the county of Richmond has determined that Epicenter will not resume tonight,” the festival said in a tweet on Saturday night. “Severe weather is continuing and we need to repair damage to the site. Please understand that this is a difficult decision and we know how excited each of you were. Doors will open at 12 p.m. tomorrow. Further information for ticket buyers will be emailed as soon as possible.”
Please understand that this is a difficult decision and we know how excited each of you were.
Doors will open at 12PM tomorrow.
Further information for ticket buyers will be emailed as soon as possible. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/UDqr7xfwQW
— EPICENTER FESTIVAL (@epicenterfest) May 12, 2019
While some fans were angered by the cancellation itself, many more were unhappy with the circumstances leading up to the evening’s disappointing announcement. Some ticket holders even claimed they spent hours in traffic waiting to get in, only to then get the news that the evening’s festivities were canceled.
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Refunds? I bought VIP for Saturday only and it’s cancelled before the major bands even play?!?! #epicenter
— Chuck Newman (@ChuckNewman10) May 12, 2019
Still stuck in #epicenter parking lot after the show was cancelled. Haven’t moved an inch. What the fuck. pic.twitter.com/0F3s3FoMca
— pritchard (@npritchard84) May 12, 2019
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Additionally, many said that they also missed Friday night’s performances due to heavy traffic, among other things.
Inkcarceration in Mansfield Ohio was a first year festival in 2018 and traffic was smooth. Take a lesson from them. This was at a speedway for God’s sake-you weren’t trying to fit 10,000 people into a driveway!! Refund or class action lawsuit!
— Lara Whitaker (@LaraWhitaker215) May 11, 2019
@epicenterfest was total fucking BULLSHIT. So glad I won the tickets because the line to get into PARKING?! WHAT THE FUCK. We waited 2 1/2 hours to go 3 miles. Some people were waiting for 6 hours plus. Just to park.
— MrsFilmaTroy (@MrsFilmaTroy) May 11, 2019
Not to mention people paid for parking in advance and then YOU RAN OUT OF PARKING.
Absolute shit show. So many people are fucking livid. And want refunds. Yall are gonna end up sued. #epicfailcenter
— MrsFilmaTroy (@MrsFilmaTroy) May 11, 2019
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According to The PRP, some fans even went as far to create a Facebook page to file a class-action lawsuit against Epicenter’s organizers. However, the Facebook page now appears to be deleted.
However, traffic and parking were not the only things that angered festival goers. According to BrooklynVegan, the festival, along with Sonic Temple, offered tickets for $1 in a final effort to pull patrons.
That said, many people who purchased their tickets early felt as though they were overcharged.
Other than the horrible parking situation, cancelling most of Saturday due to storms, and finding out they sold 1 dollar weekend passes, Epicenter was a success.
— Randy Slack (@rslack37) May 13, 2019
@DailyZeitgeist I hope the epicenter festival in NC gets a mention. Like fyre. People were trapped for hours, diabetics had their meds taken, tickets went from hundreds to $1, storm closed the festival stranding thousands w/o access to lockers and they then closed camp sites.
— (((Matt))) 🐙🦞⛷ (@MellowMatt) May 13, 2019
If you went to Epicenter Festival what were your experiences? Sound off in the comments below.
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