Capulet Fest Implodes With Third Day Canceled, Statements Released + Fans React

The 2024 Capulet Fest had a disastrous weekend that left fans and bands upset and the festival shutting down a day early.

The primary source of the drama centered around a last-minute venue change that led many of the bands to drop off the festival and fans scrambling to make travel and lodging arrangements near the new location an hour away and with a smaller capacity.

About the Original 2024 Capulet Fest Plan

Initially scheduled for June 28-30 at the Thompson Speedway in Thompson, Ct, the 2024 edition of Capulet Fest was expected to feature 55 bands over the three-day weekend with such acts as August Burns Red, Blessthefall, Skillet, Nothing More, Saint Asonia, Red, Senses Fail, 10 Years and more leading the way.

The Venue Change

Just ahead of the weekend festival, organizers announced a last minute venue change to The Webster in Hartford, Ct. As stated through the festival socials, organizers revealed, "We have a fenced in area on site at The Webster. Vip parking get priority and then beyond that GA until it is full. We also have a space for RVs. We can accommodate up to 10 standard size to help our Campers. If you traveled and need a place to stay, we do also have the ability to get you a room at our original hotel partner Wellsworth. It is about a 50 or so min drive, but if you need a place to stay, we are doing everything we can to help during this transition."

As you might expect, the last-minute change impacted the plans of festival goers as well as the bands, The original site of the festival held a 13,000 capacity, while the new location had a capacity of 1,200. Plus, the drive from the original location was about an hour for those who had already booked their lodging.

Additionally, numerous bands dropped off the bill. Nothing More, Senses Fail, 10 Years, Cold, Saint Asonia, Sleep Theory, Impending Doom, Gideon, Zero 9:36 and more were among the 20 acts bowing out.

Nothing More took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with how things were handled, noting, ""Earlier today we were sent a proposed statement from the festival that was a blatant attempt to minimize their responsibility for the situation, and more egregious than that, it offered no solutions for refunds for people who bought single day tickets for Sunday, nor did it offer refunds for people that bought VIP Meet and Greet tickets through the Capulet Festival website. This is simply an unacceptable way of doing business and we have lost all respect for the way they are handling the situation."

What the Organizers Initially Said

Capulet Entertainment issued a statement on their social media addressing some of the last minute changes.

After the Festival Started

The problems didn't stop with the initial lineup changes and shifting of venue. Additional artists dropped off the bill, including It Dies Today and Upon a Burning Body. The latter shared their dismay over the handling of the situation on social media, noting to fans, "The way things have been being managed with this festival have not been in a professional manner."

Meanwhile, LiveKill revealed that they were two songs into their performance when their show was shut down. According to an Instagram post from the group, the venue security shut things down because the promoter "didn't pay the rent."

A message posted to the Capulet Fest website after Saturday's performances noted, "Despite our best efforts and due to unforeseen circumstances, Capulet Fest concluded on Saturday night with a spectacular performance by Skillet." The scheduled third day of the event didn't happen.

The Webster said in a statement released Monday (July 1) to NBC Connecticut that Capulet Festival failed to meet their financial obligations to pay for staff operations, security, the production company and more.

“The Webster did its best to be supportive and do right by the rock community and attendees who were left with no place to go this past weekend, due to the lack of communication and planning by the festival organizers,” read the statement from the venue.

READ MORE: Six Easy Mistakes to Make When Organizing a Festival

What Fans Were Saying

Fans were visibly upset over how the events of the weekend played out, taking to social media to vent their frustration.

"Irredeemable," noted one fan, showcasing the festival's final roster before canceling the final day. Another fan called the event "as big a scam as Blue Ridge," in reference to the disastrous 2023 festival event.

Fans have even united to start a Facebook page sharing their experiences titled "Victims of Capulet Fest 2024."

No additional statements have been issued since the weekend's performances, but we'll keep you up to date as more information about the festival continues to unfold.