Forgotten Music Festivals that Used to be the Places to Be

Music festivals are an incredibly large part of music history and culture. These events showcase new and local artists. They also often support worthwhile causes with their profits. Music festivals allow support for the business side of the music industry while providing the incredibly important service of live music for music lovers everywhere. They support the blending and sharing of musical cultures that bring more innovation and inspire new and upcoming artists to experiment with their work.

However, music festivals were one of the industries that most suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing rules meant that there was no place for a packed dancefloor and the lack of attendees meant that it wasn’t financially feasible to hold festivals. With big events like Summer Fest 2024 and Lollapalooza approaching this summer, let’s look at 20 music festivals that have faded into obscurity.

It’s hard to find information on music festivals that no longer exist due to the websites that contained the festival information going down shortly after the cancellation of the festival. We looked at other published lists of music festivals that have been canceled and cross-referenced those lists with information about the festivals in question. ( Also See The Most Popular Music Artists of All Time )

10,000 Lakes

This festival ran from 2003–2009 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. It was a four-day music festival that took place on a scenic ranch surrounded by gorgeous lakes. In its heyday, the festival featured key artists such as Wilco, the Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, Pretty Lights, and The Flaming Lips.

The festival ultimately went under due to a weak economy at the time and a rise in competition in the area making it financially unsustainable. It ended just around the surge of the 2008 recession and many people were financially unable to make room for luxuries like music festivals. 10,000 Lakes has fans who miss it. However, it doesn’t have any plans of returning as of yet. Searches yielded no information about serious planning for future events.

All Points West

All Points West held its first event in 2008 and only lasted until 2009. It took place in Liberty State Park in New Jersey and was essentially a reproduction of the Coachella festival but on the East Coast. The event featured Radiohead both years, Jay-Z, Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Jack Johnson, Animal Collective, The Roots, and St. Vincent.

According to the official statement from AEG regarding a possible 2010 festival, booking suitable headliners was too difficult and the previous year’s festival had endured so much rain that they allowed ticketholders to use their Friday pass to attend on Saturday. This was a generous offer by the event organizers, but surely lost them a ton of money. Additionally, attendees were limited in the amount of drinks they could purchase, which was a complaint by many. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this music festival will be returning to the scene.

All Tomorrow’s Parties US

All Tomorrow’s Parties US ran from 2002–2004 and returned again from 2008–2012. The festival ran in many locations across the United States, including UCLA, Long Beach, Monticello, Asbury Park, and NYC. It focused on indie rock and noise bands like Lou Reed, My Bloody Valentine, Aphex Twin, Modest Mouse, Portishead, Sonic Youth, Jeff Magnum, Cat Power, Frank Ocean, and the Stooges. According to what we know, ATP was initially canceled because expenses were high and ticket sales were low.

Eventually, the festival went into liquidation. As of 2014, there were still ATP festivals in the UK. Plans for more United States events were on hold as the organizers explored other countries and waited for the market in the States to improve.

ArthurFest

The ArthurFest music festival was held just once in 2005. It took place in Los Angeles, California, and was a smaller festival with a lineup that Arthur Magazine carefully curated, focusing more on cult acts than buzz bands. It featured artists such as Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, The Black Keys, Yoko Ono, Cat Power, Merzbow, Marissa Nadler, and Olivia Tremor Control.

It’s currently unknown why the event was never rerun. Supposedly, the tickets sold out and it was a very successful event. So, it’s a mystery why the organizers chose not to run it again. Additionally, since other similar events have exploded in popularity and size in Los Angeles, a smaller festival with experimental and esoteric acts would help round the local music scene out significantly.

Bang!

Music festivals in Florida have a terrible history. Some might call it a curse. Bang! was not immune to the Floridian music festival curse. The event took place in Miami, Florida in 2005 and 2006. It featured Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Modest Mouse, and Tiësto. Despite having a major headliner like Daft Punk, Bang! was a financial disaster.

It flopped completely. The organizers made a half-hearted announcement for a 2007 event featuring Kanye West, Smashing Pumpkins, and no EDM acts. This event was to take place at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater but was quickly moved from an announcement to a “postponed” when it received little traction. Ultimately, it ended up in the pile of canceled music festivals in Florida.

Be the Riottt!

This event had one run in 2006. It took place in San Fransisco, California, and was organized by Riottt, an online community for all parties interested in left-of-center political positions. The lineup for the event was fantastic and lovingly curated by the community.

It featured Metric, the Rapture, Girl Talk, Explosions in the Sky, Asobi Seksu, Clipse, and Deerhoof, among others. The event was a relative success. So, it’s unknown why the organizers never decided to run it again. For a while, Riottt’s website hinted that they were planning to try and run the music festival again. However, since then, the entire website has been taken down and the domain name is now for sale. So, it seems this one is gone for good.

Detour

This Los Angeles music festival ran for three years, from 2006 until 2008. It was an early attempt at establishing a mid-sized music festival in LA, something the scene desperately needed and still needs more of. It had good headliners and the organizers curated the acts well. Featured acts included Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Blonde Redhead, Justice, Bloc Party, The Mars Volta, Gogol Bordello, and Basement Jaxx.

No official word was given on why the festival didn’t make it. Speculation includes that the festival typically took place at the same time as Rocktober. This period is when the Los Angeles concert market is swarmed with nightly gigs of a can’t-miss nature for music lovers. Music festival connoisseurs also speculate that Detour just never found a large enough audience to be financially sustainable. Unfortunately, no moves have been made to re-launch this festival.

Field Day

This one-off event took place in 2003. It was located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. However, it was a pre-doomed attempt at establishing a music festival in New York. It was intended to be a two-day camping trip event on Long Island.

However, due to permits being denied, the event’s duration got trimmed to a single day and the organizers were forced to relocate to Giants Stadium at the last minute, which really changed the identity of the event from the outset. It featured Radiohead, Beastie Boys, Blur, Elliott Smith, and My Morning Jacket. However, due to the massive changes made to the event’s location, period, and identity, it never saw a second festival.

Kanrocksas

The Kanrocksas music festival took place in 2011, located in Kansas City, Kansas. The American Heartland is often forgotten by music organizers, with fewer concerts on major tours, little to no concerts on minor tours, and relatively few music festivals occurring in this general area. Kanroacksas aimed to change that by having a major event that they hoped to establish in Kansas. It had familiar festival fare and was planned to be a two-day event. The 2011 event featured The Black Keys, Muse, and Girl Talk.

The organizers planned to run the event again in 2013 with announced headliners including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Passion Pit, Tiësto, and She & Him. However, the 2013 run ended up getting canceled by the organizers due to low ticket sales. We’d love to see more music festivals in the Heartlands. With so much open space and many diverse landscapes for outdoor activities, this location would be excellent for festivals looking to get in touch with nature.

Langerado

Like many Florida music festivals, Langerado didn’t end up making the cut for becoming a major, annual festival. However, it might have been more successful if the organizers retained its original identity. During its running years, the festival occurred in several major locations in Florida. Though, its most notable runs were at Markham Park and Seminole Big Cypress Indian Reservation. In terms of music festivals, it was pretty standard overall.

However, the slightly stronger focus on jam bands gave it a unique identity in the typically EDM-dominated Florida market. The festival featured headliners such as R.E.M., Beastie Boys, Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, STS9, Widespread Panic, and My Morning Jacket. When the organizers went to re-run the event, they tried to move away from the jam band identity and intended to feature Death Cab for Cutie and Snoop Dogg in 2009. However, they canceled the event, citing low ticket sales.

Lilith Fair

Traveling music festivals aren’t as common as they used to be and Lilith Fair was one such event that took place in several locations across the U.S. Unlike other music festivals which focused on the most popular bands, Lilith Fair’s theme was to showcase female-fronted acts, including both bands and solo acts. Popular women who performed at Lilith Fair included Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Lauryn Hill, and Sheryl Crow.

The event ran from 1997 until 1999 and attempted to return in 2010. However, the ticket sales for the 2010 event were disappointing at best and several shows were moved to smaller venues or canceled altogether due to poor sales. After the 2010 event, Sarah McLachlan, one of Lilith Fair’s premier, repeat headliners, declared the event dead.

Monolith

The Monolith music festival ran for three years, from 2007 until 2009. It took place at Red Rocks and was a boutique festival at a legendary, gorgeous venue. The acts at the festival were the standard festival fare for the time. It featured the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mars Volta, Justice, and Method Man & Redman. The artists featured at Monolith were nothing crazy or particularly unique compared to other music festivals at the time.

Unfortunately, the 2009 event was absolutely plagued by stormy weather, which for an outdoor music festival is a huge problem. Additionally, it took place right around the time of the 2008 recession. So, even people who wanted to attend were often unable to do so. The economy and weather were the most often cited reasons why the event was eventually canceled. The organizers attempted to do a Kickstarter to run the event again. However, they raised just $2,980 of their $38,000 goal and the Kickstarter never went anywhere.

Nateva

Maine is another scenic location that could use a few more music festivals that take advantage of its beautiful landscape. Nateva ran just once in 2010. The festival was held in Oxford, Maine, and it was a short-lived jam-centric event that brought a burgeoning music scene to Maine. The event featured acts such as The Flaming Lips, Further, moe., Passion Pit, and George Clinton & P-Funk. A 2011 event was planned.

However, the organizers canceled it citing low ticket sales, a crowded market, and difficulties securing operating permits and artists. Nateva’s founder expressed hope that he would one day be able to run the event again when the market had evened out. However, as of now, that has never been achieved.

Orlando Calling

Unfortunately, Orlando Calling was another victim of Florida’s music festival curse. The event took place in 2011, and, as the name suggests, the location of choice was Orlando, Florida. Orlando Calling was organized by Festival Republic, the organizers behind Reading/Leeds, Electric Picnic, and Glastonbury. It focused on country and rock and roll, featuring the Pixies, The Killers, The Raconteurs, Bob Seger, Kid Rock, and Blake Shelton.

While the initial event didn’t end up getting canceled, the attendance was poor and this was cited as one of the primary reasons the organizers chose not to schedule any further events for the festival.

Ozzfest

Metal fans enjoyed yearly runs of Ozzfest, a music festival organized by Sharon, Ozzy, and Jack Osbourne after her husband was turned down from being featured at Lollapalooza, from 1996 until 2008. After that, the event stopped being an annual festival and began functioning more as a “one-off” that came around when the organizers deemed it appropriate. It was held in 2010, 2013, and then 2015–2018.

The festival has not been held since and it’s unclear if Ozzfest will return. It was most recently held in California, but has been held in numerous locations in the U.S. and once in Japan. It’s a few days of drinking too much, headbanging, and, of course, hailing Satan. Featured artists have included the titular Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, System of a Down, Pantera, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, and Crazy Town.

Despite being a relative success, lower ticket sales and interest have slowed the event. If you want to be trendy, you can always just blame Nu-Metal for Ozzfest’s cancellation. It gets blamed for everything that goes wrong in the metal scene.

Pemberton

Held in 2008, Pemberton was an attempt to bring the music festival scene into Canada, which doesn’t have as big of a scene as the United States or Europe. It took place in Pemberton, British Colombia, and was a three-day music-plus-camping festival in the Great White North.

The headliners included Jay-Z, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, The Flaming Lips, The Tragically Hip, and Deadmau5. Unfortunately, despite having all the best intentions, Pemberton was plagued by logistical nightmares. Traffic to and from the event was severe and the only place to get drinks at the entire venue was the dance tent, which had a limited capacity, making it hard for the attendees to enjoy themselves and get schwasty.

Rothbury

A music festival held in Rothbury, Michigan in 2008 and 2009, Rothbury was another jam-oriented festival that featured rock, hip-hop, and other oddities. The event took place in the scenic Sherwood Forest and the venue was full of secluded relaxation spots, secret performance spaces, and multimedia art installations that were all perfect for attendees who decided to trip on psychedelics, as music festival attendees often do. The headliners featured Trey Anastasio, Bob Dylan, the Dave Matthews Band, The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, and the Dresden Dolls.

The first event was a relative success and is remembered fondly by fans. The 2009 rerun was significantly successful. The whole event almost never occurred due to the organizers’ struggle to secure a solid lineup for the year because of scheduling conflicts. They intended to bring the event back in 2011, but it has remained canceled.

Sunset Junction Street Fair

Crowd raising their hands and enjoying great festival party.

This festival is one of the longest-running events, occurring between the years of 1980 and 2010. The event was held in Los Angeles, California. It was a cheerful combination of live music from local and international artists and carnival rides and food. The event was wildly popular. The festival owes much of its long run to the wide appeal of a carnival with live music.

Featured artists included Elliott Smith, Isaac Hayes, The Black Keys, War Paint, Buzzcocks, John Cale, and Chaka Khan. The organizers tried to set up a 2011 event, but the city of Los Angeles denied the permits necessary to run the event and the organizers owed the city of Los Angeles over $200,000 in unpaid fees. They eventually filed for bankruptcy.

UR1

This event is unique. You see, the festival was shaping up to be relatively popular. People were genuinely looking forward to it. However, it never happened. It was set to take place in Miami, Florida. Despite the ongoing curse that seems to doom every attempt to start a music festival in Florida, sales for the festival’s tickets were reasonably good. The headliners featured were Kanye West, Lenny Kravitz, Lou Reed, Dead Can Dance, and Flying Lotus, among others.

However, Hurricane Sandy hit and organizers cited the effects of the storm even though Sandy didn’t actually hit Miami. As the event was functionally canceled, ticketholders expected to receive refunds. The organizers posted updates promising a refund policy and rescheduled festival dates. However, the reschedule never materialized, and last we heard, ticketholders were suing the organizers over the lack of provided refunds.

Vegoose

Halloween is a great time to party, but in Vegas, it’s a party like no other. Vegoose was a Vegas Halloween music festival, giving attendees the opportunity to crawl into Vegas and enjoy the festival at the same time. The featured headliners included Daft Punk, Rage Against the Machine, Muse, Tom Petty, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh, Queens of the Stone Age, and Fiona Apple.

Like some of the other jam-centric festivals, they transitioned away from the jam-band focus to more traditional festival fare. However, they never found an audience large enough to sustain the operating costs of the event. Additionally, Vegas has so much going on during Halloween (did we mention partying?) that it can be really difficult to get a reasonably-priced hotel during that period.

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