ST. LOUIS — St. Louis' premiere music festival, LouFest, has been canceled just days ahead of its 2018 dates.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday, Listen Live Entertainment announced the cancelation on Twitter.The tweet linked to a full written statement by Listen Live Entertainment, which said LouFest's primary cause of cancelation was due to "several financial hurdles," including the loss of two of the event's top sponsors, as well as "scheduling and contact issues with major artists." They cited existing debt from previous LouFests as another cause.
Additionally, Listen Live Entertainment said the setbacks were due in part to "a bit of unfortunately timed media coverage" which allegedly caused some of the vendors and artists to demand upfront payments just days before the event was going to start. As the organizers said, LouFest "simply couldn't make that happen."
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The statement also said one of their concerns was inclement weather, saying in part, "We feel it would be irresponsible to continue to invest in an event that might not be able to realize its exceptional potential." The organizers referenced their "rain-soaked" 2016 festival as a previous example.
Front Gate Tickets, the festival ticketing company contracted by LouFest, will be refunding those who purchased passes. In the meantime, Listen Live entertainment said they will work with the company while they "work to repay" their debts.
"It has been thrilling to bring so much joy to fans, recognition to St. Louis, a spotlight to its artists, and an estimated $8 million in revenue to the region each year. For that, we will always be proud," the statement said.
LouFest, which was supposed to kick off Saturday, September 8, was set to have acts like Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Modest Mouse, The Head and the Heart, T-Pain and many more names.
To read the full statement from Listen Live Entertainment, click here.
