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 reasons.
Natural Lands was slated to feature a massive undercard 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 ficial announcement 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 planning, hard work, devotion and course – an insane amount money. While it seems that Natural Lands have some pieces the puzzle needed for success, ultimately the funding for the event ran dry before it could begin. Lucky for fans, the event is fering 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 ten have we seen examples events that should have never started, which quickly go up in flames. Fyre Festival is the most obvious example 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 ficial statement from the festival below.