Following heavy scrutiny and controversy in the wake of political donations to Donald Trump by its owner, Punk in the Park has announced the cancelation of all its 2026 events. This comes after many bands spoke out against owner Cameron Collins for the donation, with many acts slated for the performance pulling out and vowing to avoid future festivals. Consequence reports that the traveling event originally slated to occur on April 18th, May 2nd and May 23rd across the country was cancelled via a statement posted to Instagram.
The group cites “the current climate surrounding the events” creating “challenges that make it impossible for us to move forward in a way that delivers the experience our fans, artists, and partners deserve,” and promises refunds to all ticket holders by next week with no action required. The announcement comes just days after Dead Kennedys stated they would play their booked showings as commitment to fans, but avoid any future Punk in the Park events, with former frontman Jello Biafra criticizing the choice of the band to stay. Other groups, such as the Dropkick Murphys and The Adicts, also declared they would not be performing, the latter band stating “punk rock should unify us, not divide us.”
The controversy began last year, when it was reveled that festival owner Collins made donations to Donald Trump’s then-ongoing bid for election. Collins issued a statement regarding the matter, saying “like many Americans, my political views don’t neatly fit into a single box or party affiliation. I believe in fairness, humanity, free expression, and fostering unity among people. That’s how I’ve tried to live my life and conduct my business.” Many harshly criticized the donations, stating that donating to conservative figures and especially the ever-controversial Trump is antithetical to punk rock and punk beliefs as a whole; even the replies to the festival’s Instagram post are laden with harsh critique of the festival and it’s organizers. What remains in the future for Punk in the Park- if it has any future at all – remains to be seen, but as of now, with all shows canceled, the festival remains on ice.
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