Matty Roberts, founder of the “Storm Area 51 ” Facebook page, has officially cancelled the AlienStock Music Festival.
The cancellation came without warning, as Roberts had promoted the long-planned event as late as last week.
AlienStock was arranged after “Storm Area 51” went viral. Roberts indicated that he created the page — which was liked by more than two million people — as a joke to spur conversation of aliens, conspiracy theories, and other related topics.
Roberts also made clear that he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. And because more than one individual may have actually tried to storm Area 51 — the Air Force felt compelled to issue a blunt warning — Roberts planned AlienStock.
AlienStock had been scheduled to take place in Rachel, Nevada—the city closest to Area 51—between September 20th and 22nd. Live music and entertainment, including 20 bands and two comedians, were set to perform.
But in a statement, Roberts said that he pulled the plug on the event due to a “lack of infrastructure, poor planning, risk management and blatant disregard for the safety of the expected 10,000+ AlienStock attendees” on the part of the permit holder, Connie West.
Roberts also said that he wished to avoid a “FYREFEST 2.0.”
Connie West, who owns Little A’Le’Inn, a Rachel ale house and inn, voiced her disappointment with the decision to cancel AlienStock. She maintains that adequate accommodations have been made, and at the time of writing, she was still planning to entertain and accommodate those who show up.
Per the AlienStock website, the festival has been replaced by an Area 51 Celebration, a free event that will go down at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center on September 19th. Attendees must be over 21, and a secret lineup of musicians, curated by Collective Zoo, will perform.
Though some alien fanatics have been let down, it’s undoubtedly for the best that 10,000 to 20,000 people don’t cram into a desert town with a population of 54, especially when the temptation to “Storm Area 51” would probably have reached a fever pitch.
Unlike Fyre Festival guests, AlienStock Music Festival attendees may have been placed in legitimate, life-threatening danger.