Elements Music & Arts Festival has responded with an apology following its 2021 installment, which has been widely criticized by attendees and compared to Fyre Festival.
In its fourth year, the “rain or shine” event was set to take place over September 3 – 6 in the secluded area of Lakewood, Pennsylvania. However, storms caused by Hurricane Ida caused a number of problems that snowballed into more problems — logistical issues and long wait times, as well as unsafe and unsanitary conditions.
READ: Elements Festival Attendees Sound Off on Social Media, Comparing Event to Fyre Festival
A statement addressed to Elements Family reads:
We want to thank all of our fans, artists, and the community who attended Elements Music and Arts Festival 2021. Notwithstanding a number of issues related to the impacts of Hurricane Ida, we preserved and shared many blissful moments of music and connection.
We recognize that some of you endured extraordinary wait times and discomfort getting into the Festival on Friday. We apologize for these logistical issues and the disappointments they caused. There was significant damage to our parking lots from Hurricane Ida, which led to major delays into the festival. More delays were caused by precautions developed as a result of the hurricane. We were forced to change the location of parking lots and check-in spaces due to remaining flooding issues on Friday.
The aftermath of the hurricane and the long-lasting repercussions of COVID-19 exacerbated common festival issues, including some long food and water lines and restroom cleanliness. We wanted all attendees onsite to have the best experience of all time, and we will work hard to improve.
In addition, Elements provides a dedicated email address, welcoming comments and concerns related to the 2021 event. The statement makes no mention of refunds.
Read the full statement below.
Elements Music & Arts Festival 2021
Photo via Elements Music & Arts Festival