This is not a headline I thought i'd be writing at 1am, but here we are.
A Rock/Metal festival based in Connecticut, US, has reportedly caused an uprawr amongst fans and the bands attending the festival this weekend.
Capulet Fest was supposed to be held at Thompson Speedway in Connecticut, which meant the festival could host the event at the capacity of 13,000 attendees and with this years line up being announced to have 55 bands performing, including the likes of Nothing More, BlessTheFall, Skillet, Lacey Sturm, August Burns Red and many more well known established acts, it was set to be a killer weekend.
This all changed on Thursday 27th June 2024 when it was reported that something had happened with their originally planned venue at the Thompson Speedway. However, instead of making this clear with their attendees as to what was going on, not even letting them know there may be a potential venue change, the organisers decided to keep telling fans to stay calm. Attendees found out about the venue situation through other sources, but wanted verification from the organisers themselves.
This status above was posted on Thursday earlier in the day, and similar statues where posted on their page throughout the day until the evening, the event was set to take place the very next day.
It was announced that evening that the organisers had moved the event to The Webster and whilst yes it was still in Connecticut, it was an hour away from their originally planned site and on top of this, The Webster only has a capacity of 1,200 attendees, the Thompson Speedway was able to hold 13,000. Alongside this, multiple bands had dropped out from the festival due to this:
Nothing More
Senses Fall
10 Years
Cold
Saint Asonia
Impending Doom
Gideon
Sleep Theory
Until I Wake
Life In Your Way
Zero 9:36
VCTIMS
Horizon Theory
Every Avenue
Makeout
Glasslands
The Ongoing Concept
Lightworker
University Drive
Oyarsa
American Rock Act, Nothing More, posted on their instagram story regarding this situation:
To our fans who were planning on attending Capulet Fest - Despite our best efforts, we unfortunately, we won''t be playing this show. The band and our crew were all in Nashville reheasring when we got the news that the promotor had lost access to the venue. Capulet Fest were able to find an alternate location for Friday and Saturday, but not for Sunday when we were scheduled to play. Earlier today we were sent a proposal statement from the festival that was a blatant attempt to minimize their responsibility for the situation and even more egregious than that, it offered no solutions for refunds for people who bought single day tickets for Sunday, nor did it offer refunds for people that bought VIP Meet & Greet tickets through Capulet Fest website. This is simply an unacceptable way of doing business and we have lost all respect for the way the are handling the situation. While we may have lost tens and thousands of dollars in crew costs, flights etc, this is nothing compared to a fan losing their hard earned money they spent on tickets to see a show and have a great time with friends and family.
Thompson Speedway also released a statement informing that Capulet Fest had lost access to the site:
According to MetalSucks, a Reddit User posted about what else went wrong with Capulet Fest and how badly things have been handled so far:
"As someone who is a ticket holder & has been following all of yesterday & today, here’s my short and to the point recap:
The promoter knew the speedway (original venue) wouldn’t be available on Monday, but didn’t inform the public officially until today. Rumors leaked first. Mind you the festival starts TOMORROW
Stage crew wasn’t paid, which may have played a role in the decision (or the promoter had no money to pay the speedway)
The new venue is in a shitty part of Hartford with lots of breakins and drug use, with no options for parking or camping. The promoter has given no indication about how these items will be refunded & is continuing to sell them on their website
Also other shows are being played at the same time as the festival, meaning the venue is oversold based on the number of tix sold to Capulet Fest
About 1/3 of the lineup has dropped off so far
Bands who are stuck in pay for play arrangements are left trying to spin positive PR in the comments to salvage the fest
People are already filing complaints with CT authorities to get the event shut down or get refunds due to fraud"
The videos, photos and comments that I have personally seen of Capulet Fest whilst it has been open, (yes can you believe it, they actually went ahead with it!), it's not going down too well for them. Capulet Fest are currently putting on a front to put across that everything is going smoothly, but they have left their reputation, respect and loyalty to their fans, in tatters.
From not being transparent with fans from the very beginning, to telling fans to be patient and stay calm when the festival was 24 hours away from opening, to then moving the venue to a location that is not only 1 hour away from the originally planned site, which meant those attending where either forced to travel further than they wanted, having to spend money on alternative accommodation or having to miss out on the event entirely, moving the venue to a location that is reportedly unsafe and for the venue to not be at the capacity than what they actually need for their attendees, artists and crew to be safe to perform and enjoy to then not responding or making a statement about refunds for their bad organisation and then pretend that everything is fine on social media.
Have people not learned from the Fyre Festival documentary? Or what happened with Blue Ridge Festival when they cancelled their event half way through? Capulet Fest should have cancelled the event the moment they knew about not having access to the site, and from what we have learnt, they knew about this situation when putting this years event together, and now they have put everyone at risk. What's next? Are they actually going to pay the artists, vendors and crew that are still attending the site? Are the facilities even going to be suitable for those that are still attending?
My advice for those that were suppose to be attending this years event is to contact Capulet Fest regarding a refund and to also contact your bank to find out what you can do to get your money back. The longer you leave it, the harder it will be to retrieve anything.
The new venue at The Webster also has reduced parking as compared with Thompson Speedway, with some attendees having to park on the street.
US News network, WSFB reports on the situation: https://www.wfsb.com/2024/06/28/fans-react-capulet-fests-last-minute-changes/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3tWTDxWT7hz2dBbJHx-HbN2JKLYq8DW4kbves9OqJEOPsaTOYDP35el88_aem_Mj7M80RUtcfvBNhMeTUJxA
It is also reported that the organisers behind the event lacked funds and was needing to secure loans. When speaking to the reporters, organiser Vega said "“I would say that is not fully true. We disagreed on certain amounts and certain pay schedules but there was money invested, there was several six figures invested. It became too much to bear for one promoter,”
When spoke to about refunds, the organisers are unsure and have stated that they have clearly stated policies in place regarding this and have ticket protection insurance as an option for a ticket. They have reportedly contacted the Attorney General.
I will update this article if more information becomes available. I have also reached out to Capulet Fest asking for a statement.