Today another Reggae Festival came out with a statement regarding cancelation:
With great sadness, the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (SNWMF) BNVL LLC has announced the cancellation of the 2024 event, which was set for June 21-23 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, CA. This decision follows last year’s successful return of the festival after a five-year break. Despite careful planning and hard work to make another wonderful weekend, the team faced big money problems that made it impossible to go ahead.
“Last year, the SNWMF team beautifully and successfully brought back the festival,” the statement said. “We planned and have been working hard to present another great weekend this year. This has become harder due to big money problems. We have tried all options but can’t go forward.” The festival, known for its lively celebration of music and culture, hoped to continue its tradition but found it could not do so without lowering the quality of the event. This tough decision shows the hard money problems many events are facing today.
The organizers shared deep sadness and thankfulness to their fans over the past thirty years. “We cannot say sorry enough for this change and the late notice. We have worked very hard to avoid cancelling but must face the hard money problems. SNWMF cannot express enough our thanks and love to everyone who has supported SNWMF over the past 30 years,” said Gretchen Franz Smith on behalf of SNWMF BNVL LLC. Though the future of the festival is unclear, the team is committed to solving these problems and looking for ways to possibly bring the festival back in the future.
In 2024, reggae festivals, including the SNWMF, face cancellations due to rising costs, exorbitant artist fees, decreased ticket sales, logistical challenges, and changing consumer behavior. The economic strain from inflation, reduced sponsorship, and post-pandemic recovery efforts has created a difficult environment for organizing large-scale events, leading to a wave of festival cancellations across the industry.
