The Lightning in a Bottle festival is canceled, putting future shows in doubt. Now fans are trying to save it with crowdfunding.
The Lightning in a Bottle festival is usually held on Memorial Day weekend in California. Organizers Do LaB have put on the show since 2000, weathering the move to the Central Valley. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the organizers to shutter the event.
With so many concerts postponing to September and later, Lightning in a Bottle was left without a new date. The official announcement at the time stated, “Beyond losing the Memorial Day Date for LIB 2020, we are unfortunately not able to provide further details on LIB’s future status at this time.”
For now, organizers are asking fans to support future concerts with a gift, transfer their tickets, or ask for a refund. Organizers are asking ticketholders to only seek a full refund as a last-ditch effort.
Fans were not pleased with those options, and so a GoFundMe has been set up. At the time of writing, $31,000 has been raised, with a goal of $250,000. 603 donors have raised that amount for Lightning in a Bottle. Event organizers are encouraging fans of the festival to participate and help “save the future of the festival.”
“We are facing trying times and are doing everything possible to make sure that ticket buyers that need their tickets refunded have some options,” the organizers said in a statement. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure LIB will survive these unprecedented times so we can carry on our mission to create, experience, and inspire.”
In a previous update, LIB organizers broke down how the funds would be used.
Ticket revenue is used to pay vendors and put down deposits for talent and to pay staff. “Profitability of the event is determined in the final weeks of sales, right before the festival starts,” organizers say.
“When it became clear to us that the event was going to be canceled, we were mid-production and had already spent the ticket money on LIB. We do not have enough money to issue full refunds to all of you. We, therefore, announced there would be no refunds.”