Louder Than Life Festival Canceled ????
Well, this stinks: the Louder than Life festival, set to take place this coming weekend in Louisville, KY, has been canceled.
The event’s promoters were forced to pull the plug on account of intense flooding that rendered the festival grounds unusable, a result of residual effects from Hurricane Florence passing through the area. Every effort was made to continue on with the festival, including moving to a different venue or even breaking up the lineup into multiple shows at smaller venues, but it simply wasn’t possible at this stage in the game.
The following statement was issued by the official Louder Than Life website:
“It is with deep regret that we inform you that this weekend’s Louder Than Life festival has been canceled due to unsafe conditions resulting from ongoing rain and flooding at the festival site — Champions Park. After carefully inspecting the grounds and infrastructure this evening, the City and we have determined that it is no longer possible to make the festival site safe in time for this weekend.
“We appreciate the outpouring of support from our fans, the numerous offers to come out and help, and the herculean efforts of the City of Louisville in trying to make the festival happen. The one thing we will never sacrifice is the safety of our fans, bands, staff and patrons.
“Before making the decision to cancel the festival, we looked at every option, from moving the event to another location to breaking the event up into smaller events in various venues. Unfortunately, it’s not logistically possible, and the weather is just not cooperating. It is not safe to attempt to move equipment, and replacement equipment is not available.
“We are so proud of this year’s festival experience that included incredible music, a showcase for Louisville’s great food scene, and of course an unparalleled offering of Kentucky bourbon, and more. We’re so disappointed to not get the chance to share all of this with you. This year’s Louder Than Life was going to be the momentous experience you all deserve.
“We will be back next year even bigger and better, and look forward to continuing our relationship with our incredible fans and this great city.
“As a result of this cancelation, DWP will be offering full refunds for all ticket, official hotel and camping package purchases.
“For those who purchased via Front Gate Tickets via internet or phone, orders will be processed automatically. Please allow up to 3 weeks for charges to be processed.
“For any further questions or assistance, please email [email protected]”
It’s crazy to think how much money and time went into planning this event (likely for an entire year!) and how all of that ended up being for nothing thanks to mother nature, who ultimately always wins. Not to mention the lost revenue and expenses already spent for the promoter, the bands, security, staff, vendors, etc. The promoter (Danny Wimmer Presents) will likely be OK, as they may have an insurance policy covering this type of thing… but woof, this mega sucks for everyone else, including festival goers who spent money on travel, etc. What can be done, though? At least there’s always next year… except not.
