An independent music festival set to take place in Southern California in October will no longer happen.
The organizers of Desert Daze, a three-day festival from Oct. 10 to Oct. 13 in Lake Perris, announced the cancelation on Friday in a social media post.
Describing themselves as an independent music festival run by “a small team of people who love live music and the community,” organizers pointed to the “volatile festival market” as one of the main reasons for the cancelation.
“As an independent festival – an increasing rarity in today’s festival market – Desert Daze is run by a small team of people who love live music and this community,” organizers said. “Unfortunately, due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market, it is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned.”
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LAKE PERRIS, CA – OCTOBER 14: King Khan and and the Shrines perform at the 2018 Desert Daze Festival on October 14, 2018 in Lake Perris, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images) -
LAKE PERRIS, CA – OCTOBER 13: Rachel Goswell, Nick Chaplin and Neil Halstead of Slowdive perform at the 2018 Desert Daze Festival on October 13, 2018 in Lake Perris, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images) -
LAKE PERRIS, CA – OCTOBER 14: A view of an art installation at the 2018 Desert Daze Festival on October 14, 2018 in Lake Perris, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images) -
LAKE PERRIS, CA – OCTOBER 14: Attendees seen at the 2018 Desert Daze Festival on October 14, 2018 in Lake Perris, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images) -
LAKE PERRIS, CA – OCTOBER 14: Attendees seen at the 2018 Desert Daze Festival on October 14, 2018 in Lake Perris, California. (Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)
“We are always learning and working diligently to improve the experience, and we tried everything to find a way forward,” organizers added. “We are heartbroken.”
Festival founder Phil Pirrone told the Los Angeles Times that 2024 has been “a tough year for everybody” and that the tough times go “beyond the music industry.”
“I think just everything is too expensive right now,” Pirrone said. “The cost of putting on an event, whether you’re a small festival or a big festival, nobody’s immune to it right now.”
“If you compare the cost of putting on a festival even a few years ago, line by line, you’re just like, wow,” he added.
This year’s headliners were Alex G, Thundercat, Jack White and Cigarettes After Sex. Other acts that were scheduled to perform include The Mars Volta, Fleet Foxes, De La Soul and Marc Rebillet.
Desert Daze did not happen in 2023 either; at the time, organizers stated they took a year off from the event to work on fans’ experience.
Those who were looking forward to Desert Daze aren’t completely out of luck, as a different festival in Lake Perris – the Same Same But Different festival – announced they will be offering Tier 1 pricing for anyone who can show proof of purchase for the canceled festival.