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.
Okeechobee 2019
Location: Okeechobee, Florida, United States
Year Started: 2016
Reason For Cancellation: The official statement says Okeechobee is taking a fallow year, but the unofficial statement is that their parent company is bankrupt.
Chance of a Return: In three years, this festival has become one of the best parts of the spring scene and has been well reviewed across the board. The statement says they’ll be back in 2020, so we’re giving OMF an 8 out 10 chance of revival (as long as they stop using the phrase “Okeechobeeings”).
Country 500 2019
Location: Daytona, Florida, United States
Year Started: 2016
Reason For Cancellation: It’s not stated, but our best guess is that Country 500 didn’t make enough money, or if you’re looking for a lengthier PR statement: “Daytona International Speedway will continue to explore new opportunities to host non-traditional events such as music festivals and develop a business model that can be successful for all parties involved.”
Chance of a Return: If you can’t get country fans to a NASCAR racetrack, then it’s just never going to happen. 1 out 10 chance of Country 500 racing back into our lives.
Jamboree in the Hills 2019
Location: Belmont, Ohio, United States
Year Started: 1977
Reason For Cancellation: The “Super Bowl of Country Music” has been around for 40+ years and Live Nation has given no reason why “Jambo” has been cancelled.
Chance of a Return: They’re calling it a “hiatus”, we’re calling it the end to one of the strongest runs of country music festivals in history. 1 out 10 chance.
Country Crossings 2019
Location: Central Point, Oregon, United States
Year Started: 2017
Reason For Cancellation: No official reasons, but multiple outlets are reporting on unpaid bills and issues with the parent company.
Chance of a Return: 0 out of 10. Website is already offline so we’re saying that this one has crossed over into the festival graveyard for good.
Mountain Home 2019
Location: Mountain Home, Idaho, United States
Year Started: 2015
Reason For Cancellation: “After 4 great years in Idaho, we’ve made the tough decision to go on hiatus for the 2019 edition of the festival.”
Chance of a Return: Mountain Home’s parent company is the same as Country Crossings so 0 out of 10. Country festivals are having a rough go of it at the end of the year.
Fort Rock 2019
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Year Started: 2013
Reason for Cancellation: Danny Wimmer and AEG are currently engaged in a bitter festival divorce and it looks like Fort Rock is one of the unlucky kids who will have to go live with grandma in upstate New York.
Chance of a Return: I’m saying 0 out of 10 chance of Fort Rock reappearing in Florida, but 7 out of 10 chance we’ll see a similar festival called Rort Fock with similar dates and a similar lineup sometime in the future.