Organizers of the Texas Eclipse Festival have released a lengthy statement addressing various aspects of the event that came under online scrutiny after the final two days of the festival in Burnet, Texas, were canceled earlier this week.
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On Monday (April 8), attendees were notified that the remainder of Texas Eclipse Festival had been canceled due to severe weather hours before the eclipse, with Texas governor Greg Abbott directing the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate state emergency response resources ahead of a storm system that moved across the state that afternoon.
In the wake of the cancellation, the event was subject to sharp online criticism and rumors, leading to the statement that addressed myriad facets, including the decision-making process around the cancellation, attendance numbers and safety protocols.
In terms of the decision to cancel, organizers outline a day-by-day timeline of the meetings that took place, saying that the final decision was ultimately made in conjunction with the festival team, local agencies, law enforcement and a weather expert. “The choice to cancel was unanimous.” reads the statement, “and driven by the level of risk of the forecasted weather and severity of the associated outcomes.”
“We did not cancel for insurance money,” the statement highlighted. “We made a hard decision to put safety first and avoid a far worse situation. Texas Eclipse festival will take a significant financial loss.”
In regard to rumors about the event being oversold, the statement says that “the show was not oversold / over capacity. Burnet County approved our permit with capacity at 40,000 people. We were well under that number.”
The statement goes on to say that “rumors of multiple deaths circulating on social media are inaccurate. One person passed away at the hospital after being transported from the festival.” The statement did not provide further details on the death, with respect to “the family’s privacy as well as following HIPAA guidelines.”
In regard to partial refunds for the canceled days, organizer say they are “are working diligently with our ticket provider to provide more information. We are committed to resolving this quickly and will update everyone very soon. A significant number of guests purchased using a payment plan which complicates the process.
Texas Eclipse was organized by a newly formed alliance of independent promoters including longtime EDM promoter James Estopinal and his recently rebranded concert outfit Disco Presents; technologist, entrepreneur and Texas Eclipse festival founder and “head of alignment” Mitch Morales; and California-based festival organizer, curator and producer Gwen Gruesen from Symbiosis Gathering.
Read the full statement below.
