After the Rothbury Village Council voted against Electric Forest’s request to postpone its dates to September, the festival has released a statement giving fans a glimmer of hope—that it is “exploring all our options.”
The dance music and jam bands festival in the thick of the forest in Rothbury, Michigan, was originally scheduled for June 25-28. However, as the outlook of coronavirus clearing by early summer appears bleak, the organizers proposed September 10-13. On Thursday night, the council members denied the new dates on a 5-2 vote.
While the decision suggests Electric Forest will not be happening this year, the festival posted a statement on Instagram shortly after, indicating they have not given up.
“HQ has been working hard to explore alternative dates for Electric Forest 2020, and find a time that works best for both our community and our neighbors.”
The statement was shared on social media by Insomniac, which has been co-producing the event with Madison House Presents since 2011. Insomniac founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella also shared a photo of himself at Forest and said the team had been exploring alternate dates for the past few weeks. His statement was very similar.
“We are exploring all our options, and will provide you with updates as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience and support while we work through this,” Rotella stated. “Despite delays, I look forward to walking thru the forest together with you again.”
Other Dates?
The festival news and rumors source Festive Owl, which posted a video of the vote, concluded that “as of now, there will be NO Electric Forest this year.” During the meeting, officials voiced concerns about the pandemic and the sheriff mentioned an arrest increase at Forest and that he did not want a COVID-19 outbreak in the jail. The Festive Owl tweeted that the vote was “effectively a referendum on EF happening AT ALL in 2020.”
There has been no mention of refunds.
Electric Forest was poised to celebrate its 10th anniversary with headliners including BASSNECTAR, Diplo, Flume, Major Lazer, Big Gigantic, Louis The Child, The Disco Biscuits and The String Cheese Incident.
Insomniac has already rescheduled Beyond Wonderland in Southern California from March to June, and its flagship Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas from May to October 2-4. Forest fans will be watching to see if Insomniac can save the festival, known for its magical vibes, from the chopping block for 2020.