According to Loudwire.com, a class action lawsuit has been filed by 2024 Capulet Festival ticket holders against Capulet Entertainment promoter Estevan Vega. The event was initially advertised with over 50 bands on the bill and was originally slated to take place at the Thompson Speedway in Thompson, Connecticut. But a day before the festival was allegedly set to start, the organizers changed the venue to Webster Theater in Hartford, shrinking the potential audience capacity from 13,000 to 1,200.
Most of the bands dropped off the bill, including Nothing More, Senses Fail, Cold, 10 Years, Sleep Theory and Saint Asonia. Nothing More made a statement on social media about no longer performing: “Earlier today we were sent a proposed statement from the festival that was a blatant attempt to minimize their responsibility for the situation and even more egregious than that, it offered no solutions for refunds for people who bought single day tickets for Sunday.”
The festival ended up shutting down after one and a half days when Webster Theater officials claimed they had allegedly not been paid by the promoter. There were plenty of upset fans who missed out on the event altogether or experienced a greatly reduced festival as a result of the last minute shifts. The lawsuit was filed by four of the alleged festival goers.
Ashley Lessard, one of the four plaintiffs named in the suit, told local Hartford and New Haven news station WFSB-TV: “I had tickets for the whole weekend. I had the VIP ticket. I had the $693.34 tickets. That package had included meet and greets with several of the bands on the bill, but they never happened. You expect an outdoor festival. You’ve had people purchase hotel tickets, you’ve had people purchase camping experiences.”
In a statement, attorney Oren Faircloth commented: “We believe Capulet Entertainment should be held accountable for its alleged misrepresentations and mishandling of Capulet Fest 2024. In our complaint, we are seeking not only financial restitution for the affected attendees but also injunctive relief and punitive damages to enforce transparency and fairness in future event promotions and to ensure that this type of occurrence is not repeated.”