Desert Daze fans mourn ‘end of an era’ as Jack White-headlined festival canceled with fears it will ‘never come back’

DESERT Daze, the popular music festival attended by thousands, shocked the festival world with its announcement on Friday that the show would no longer go on.

The renowned Southern California rock festival released a statement announcing the cancelation of its October show and guaranteeing refunds .

Desert Daze

Getty

Getty

The festival was founded over 10 years ago as a small roadhouse show, later evolving into a major event that draws tens of thousands of people a year.

This year’s now-canceled lineup, scheduled from October 10-12, included headliners such as Alex G , Thundercat , Jack White , Cigarettes After Sex, The Mars Volta, and many more.

Some fans were surprised by the news, while others seemed to be expecting the announcement.

But one thing is for sure, many festival-goers, who paid for tickets that started at $300, are left disappointed regardless.

“It’s the end of an era,” wrote one fan.

“Sadly doesn’t look like this fest will ever come back,” she said.

“So sad Desert Daze had to cancel,” said a different fan.

“But they were charging way too much for the size of the festival,” they expressed.

“Did they get too greedy and try to squeeze as much money as they could or are things getting that much more expensive,” the fan questioned.

However, Desert Daze is blaming rising production costs and the current “volatile festival market” for having to shut down just one month after announcing the lineup.

Instagram/ Desert Daze

“It’s amazing that any small festivals are still happening,” another fan added.

“This one hurts,” added somebody else who had attended in the past.

“I’m not totally shocked, but it hurts,” she added.

“I loved the time I spent at Desert Daze — truly one of my favorite festivals,” she wrote.

The news comes just one year after the festival was also canceled in 2023.

“Stoked my friends and I decided to skip Desert Daze this year because it got canceled AGAIN,” someone else chimed in.

“I think it’s over forever,” they said.

Despite a compelling lineup of rock music heavyweights, the ticket sales just weren’t enough to keep the festival afloat.

Instagram/ Desert Daze

“We tried everything to avoid this, but this is a tough year for everybody,” Phil Pirrone, the festival’s founder told the Los Angeles Times .

“That goes from groceries all the way to production costs,” Pirrone told the Times.

“I think it goes beyond the music industry. I think just everything is too expensive right now,” he said,

“If you compare the cost of putting on a festival even a few years ago, line by line, you’re just like, wow,” he said.

The festival’s statement, released Friday, echoed Pirrone’s sentiments.

“We are heartbroken to announce that Desert Daze — scheduled for October 10-13, 2024, in Lake Perris, California — is canceled,” the festival said in a statement on Friday.

“Pass holders will be refunded and will be contacted directly via their point of purchase,” the festival continued.

“As an independent festival, an increasing rarity in today’s festival market,” the statement said.

“Desert Daze is run by a small team of people who love live music and this community. Unfortunately, due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market, it is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned,” the brand explained.

“Desert Daze is more than a festival or business venture to us.,” the statement read.

“The community that we’ve cultivated together means so much to us and is the reason we will continue to work to find a way to keep this beautiful thing going for many years to come.”

“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,” the festival said of its plan.

“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your support.”

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