The music festival scene is in a constant state of flux. For every new and shiny fest, it seems we lose a fan favorite or a promising debut finds itself out of cash. In the MFW Deadpool, we take a look at the festival graveyard and predict who will rise from the dead.
All Good Music Festival
Year Started: 1997
The Reason: Straight up retirement. After becoming one of the top jam fests in the United States, All Good recently called it quits with a long letter posted to their official website. At least we get closure.
Odds of a Return: 1 out of 10. The open letter sounds certain that retirement will stick and 20 years is an impressive run. Still, we’re leaving the door open with the slight chance that someday we will see All Good down the road.
Wakarusa
Year Started: 2004
The Reason: A full-on legal battle over money concerning the failed Phases of the Moon Festival in 2015 which carried so much blow-back it took down Wakarusa.
Odds of a Return: Wakarusa is a super popular festival with a highly dedicated fanbase. We expect them to be be back bigger and better than ever one they wrap this mess. An optimistic 8 out of 10 for this Arkansas fest.
Landmark Music Festival
Year Started: 2015
The Reason: The National Mall festival stated that they are taking a year off because there’s a museum opening that same weekend and millennials can’t handle a change of dates.
Odds of a Return: Most of the reasons sounded like bullshit to us too. For a debut fest to skip a year doesn’t bode well and Landmark had a troubled run to its first edition giving it a forecast of 2 out of 10.
Big Barrel/Delaware Junction/Farmborough
Year Started: 2015
The Reason: The dueling trio of east-coast country festivals all made a run for the Mid-Atlantic crowd and found crickets. Big Barrel and Farmborough have already made the call official while it’s nothing but radio silence from Delaware Junction.
Odds of a Return: Like a sudsy beer bubble on top of your ice cold Budweiser, the country music festival scene is about to burst. Stay tuned for more wreckage from the 2016 festival season. Still, like the almighty Highlander, one of these country flavored fests could be resurrected which is why we’re giving all these a 1 out of 10.
Dega Jam
Year Started: N/A
The Reason: A country music festival held at a NASCAR racetrack in Alabama? Sounds like a slam dunk…except organizers decided to pull out before even holding the festival a single time.
Odds of a Return: Cancelling your first-year fest before its first year nabs you a 0 out of 10.
Soundwave
Year Started: 2005
The Reason: The traveling Australian festival ran into a shitshow of highly public catfights between the event promoter and the ticket seller. The website has since been pulled down and promoter AJ Maddah stated in a tweet that “I am flat broke and physically and spiritually crushed. Hopefully others will pick it up & run with it.”
Odds of a Return: With so much negative press we don’t see this one making a comeback. 0 out 10.
Wickerman Fest
Year Started: 2001
The Reason: Following the death of the event’s co-founder in 2015, Wickerman has cancelled the 2016 event.
Odds of a Return: 9 out of 10. Sounds like Wickerman has hit a small bump in the road. This is a beloved DIY fest that already promises to return July 21-22, 2017.