Two days ago we reported that Natural Lands Music and Arts Festival in Arkansas pulled six headlining acts from their line up the week the festival was slated to take place. As many rightfully assumed, today the festival canceled completely. This is unfortunate for a number of reasons.
Natural Lands was slated to feature a massive undercard of local talent who was getting their first opportunity to play a festival stage. These acts will once again have to work to find proper billing. The other reason the cancelation stings just a bit more is that in the official announcement of the cancelation, the event organizer's grief around the decision is palpable.
There is nothing easy about putting together a music festival. It requires years of planning, hard work, devotion and of course – an insane amount of money. While it seems that Natural Lands have some pieces of the puzzle needed for success, ultimately the funding for the event ran dry before it could begin. Lucky for fans, the event is offering full refunds to anyone who bought a ticket.
While the cancelation is disappointing it is important to note that organizers made the right move in doing so. Too often have we seen examples of events that should have never started, which quickly go up in flames. Fyre Festival is the most obvious example of this, but many other regional festivals have shared similar fates. We hope Natural Lands can regroup and potentially throw a more intimate gathering in the new future. Read the official statement from the festival below.
