The Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2024 is Canceled
After last year’s disastrous edition of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival, it was frankly laughable that there was even an attempt to bring the festival back this year. But the problems date back much farther than 2023. In a 2021 article for TGEFM, a number of festival attendees cited egregious failures from the festival including failure to check attendees for weapons, failure to follow ADA compliance, and something that became known as “The Shit Spray Incident” in which a burst septic tank sprayed all over the campsite and wasn’t repaired for several hours.
Fast forward to the 2023 festival when the festival was canceled part-way through the event, with the festival citing severe weather as the reason for cancellation, but with a local CBS affiliate reporting that the weather was only part of the reason as nearly 200 stagehands were planning a strike. Then in October, the Virginia Department of Health started investigating the festival as many attendees started reporting gastrointestinal issues following the festival.
Then the festival had to deny selling tickets to the 2024 festival before they finished refunding tickets for the 2023 event and before they had told local government officials of their plans for a 2024 festival, even though the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that they were selling tickets already. Honestly, the level of dysfunction at Blue Ridge makes Fyre Fest seem almost successful by comparison.
Well, now the 2024 edition of the festival has officially been canceled. Here’s the statement from the festival’s official website:
“Blue Ridge Rock Festival and Virginia International Raceway are saddened to announce that the 2024 Festival will not take place as originally planned. Our number one focus and priority has been, and remains, settling the insurance claim and ensuring resolution for everyone affected by 2023’s weather cancellation.“After thorough consideration and discussions between both parties, we have mutually agreed that hosting the festival in 2024 is not feasible at this time since we are still awaiting a resolution for 2023. As a result, all items purchased for the 2024 Festival will be fully refunded. Contrary to online reports, 2024 tickets were placed on-sale at the very start of the 2023 festival (not any time recently), just as we did in 2022. This 2024 on-sale took place well prior to the weather-induced partial cancellation of the 2023 festival. The sales that did take place for 2024 have been held in escrow. We are working with the merchant processing company to streamline and process refunds. Please stay tuned to your email for 2024 refund information forthcoming.
“We would like to express our gratitude to Virginia International Raceway for their partnership and unwavering support through this unexpected, and unequivocally challenging time. What has occurred behind the scenes over the last several months with Blue Ridge has often been incredibly unique and unprecedented for a Music Festival, but VIR has graciously understood, maintained faith, and worked through each situation with us.
“While Blue Ridge Rock Festival will not take place in 2024, we look forward to revealing what the future holds in 2025. We are very grateful for an incredibly passionate fan base that organically took a tiny one day Festival, in rural Virginia, to unbelievable heights, through fan engagement and innovation in its lineup, experiences, and overall curation.
“Thank you to all our supporters, attendees, and partners for your understanding and infectious support of Blue Ridge Rock Festival. We look forward to soon resolving 2023 and 2024 for all.”
Somehow, the festival is still talking about a potential 2025 edition, which just seems both unlikely and ill-advised at this point. Some of the refunds for 2023 are still being processed, the festival is being investigated to see if they gave attendees intestinal parasites, and need we once again remind you that there was something that became collectively known as “The Shit Spray Incident.” If Nathan Lane’s character from The Producers tried to put on a metal festival, it would run more smoothly than this.
