The organizers of Desert Daze have confirmed the four-day music festival in Lake Perris, Calif. has been cancelled due to heightened production costs. Originally scheduled for Oct. 10, 11, 12 and 13, the independent fest was set to host Jack White, Fleet Foxes, the Mars Volta, Cigarettes After Sex, Liz Phair and Thundercat, among others.
“As an independent festival, an increasing rarity in today’s festival market, Desert Daze is run by a small team of people who love live music and this community,” a spokesperson for Desert Daze wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market, it is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned.”
All pass holders will be refunded, and will be contacted directly via their point of purchase. (All Desert Daze Presents shows are scheduled to move forward as planned.)
“Desert Daze is more than a festival or business venture to us,” noted Desert Daze co-founder Phil Pirrone. “The community that we’ve cultivated together means so much to us and is the reason we will work to find a way to keep this beautiful thing going for many years to come.”
He continued, “With each year, we do our best to serve the Desert Daze community… We are always learning and working diligently to improve the experience, and we tried everything to find a way forward this year. While we hit pause for now, we will be working in the background to deliver another special experience for all of us to share in the future. We thank you for your support.”
The 2023 iteration of the festival was postponed, with organizers saying in a statement then, “After careful thought and consideration, Desert Daze organizers have decided to take a year off from the event at Lake Perris and return in 2024, using the extra time to ensure an experience that surpasses expectations for many years to come.”
Though the live music industry had a record-breaking summer in 2023 led by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, 2024 has so far has had an increased number of cancelled tours and concerts, with indie acts citing productions costs and others due to low ticket sales.
Source Agencies
