The Epicenter Festival was nothing short of a disaster. Severe weather, traffic nightmares, and canceled sets turned eager fans into disappointed fans. Problems arose early, as traffic was a big issue for fans trying to get to the festival.
According to consequenceofsound, a ticket holder by the name of Kelly Tesh told a local news channel that she arrived within three miles of the festival around 5:00 p.m. on Friday via US Highway 1. After moving just one and a half miles in four hours, she and her friends decided to get rid of their tickets and head home.
For those who stuck it out and made through traffic, another problem stood in between them and the festival. Parking was also a disaster for fans as there was a lack of lighting, parking attendants, or security. This left cars trapped in chaos with festival goers claiming they were stuck in the parking lot for more than four hours.
The issue became so frustrating that a few people decided to cut a hole through the fencing around the parking lot, allowing cars to filter out through the gap.
Severe weather led to a forced set evacuation ahead of Saturday evening’s performances. Fans were told to seek shelter in their cars, while those who attempted to leave the festival grounds were stuck in mayhem once again.
The weather led to the cancelation of highly anticipated sets from Tool, Judas Priest, The Cult, and many more.
Major damage was detected to the festival grounds, stages, and infrastructure, leading to a delay for Sunday’s gates to open for several hours. Before the festival, the forecast had predicted inclement conditions for the festival days. With the recent traffic mayhem and last-minute evacuation, it seemed as though organizers were perhaps not as prepared as fans would have liked.
Through all of the mishaps, Epicenter decided to continue the festival on Sunday to end with a high note.
For some fans, there is no forgiving or forgetting how much of a disaster the Epicenter Festival was.
According to theprp, a Facebook group formed over the weekend calling for a class-action lawsuit against the organizers. Over 1300 members signed up for the group, but it appears to have since been removed from the social network.