The Roxodus Festival was originally scheduled to take place at Edenvale Airport north of Toronto in three days.
Music legends Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and Lynyrd Skynyrd would’ve performed at the Canadian music festival set to take place on July 11th.
There was just one little problem – the whole event unexpectedly collapsed, with fans left in the lurch.
With just days left to go, the Roxodus Festival has abruptly canceled the event. Now, in a mad dash, Eventbrite is issuing refunds to infuriated fans.
Did Roxodus organizers take fans’ money and run?
Quelling fans’ outrage, the event management and ticketing website has issued ticket holders refunds. This comes after Eventbrite executives failed to reach the event’s organizers.
According to Roxodus promoters – MF Live – unforeseen “tremendously rainy weather” had made it impossible to hold the festival. Fans had already received their wristbands in the mail, however. These contained unique RFID tap technology Intellitix specifically designed for the festival.
Organizers had also urged festivalgoers to load money onto the wristbands, stating the event would be “cashless.”
In a statement – and also furious over the abrupt cancelation – Eventbrite stated it will “continue to aggressively pursue the return of funds from the festival’s creators.”
“We believe attendees deserve to get their money back now, so we have set up an Eventbrite-funded Fan Relief Program to make all Roxodus ticket holders whole.
“We’re transferring funds to ticket holders immediately and they can expect to see it reflected on their credit card or bank statement within seven business days.”
Intellitix will also issue refunds. Billy Idol, Kid Rock, Blondie, and Nickelback would’ve also performed at Roxodus.
Fearing organizers fled with their money, some fans pointed out the weather has “been dry.” Yet, the airport apparently wasn’t built to hold a large-scale music festival.
According to sources speaking with Billboard, MF Live had run out of cash. They had paid each performer “upfront.” Organizers also hadn’t foreseen “how long it would take to get the facility ready.” Others believe poor ticket sales prompted the cancelation.
Defending his company from the criticism, MF Live co-founder Mike Dunphy denied responsibility for the refunds.
“My role at MF Live was that of talent buyer/operations. I didn’t sign contracts, issue checks, or control funds received from ticket sales.”
He also denied “stolen monies as widely rumored on social media.” Since then, MF Live has changed its story, blaming a former partner for the cancelation.
Featured image by Dan Moyle (CC by 2.0).