Just a day after the presale began for Anjunabeach Riviera Maya, Above & Beyond has announced that the event will not be taking place.
When the concept of Anjunabeach Riviera Maya was teased in the Anjunafamily group on Facebook, many were interested in the potential of an all-inclusive event that featured Above & Beyond and other members of the label. The idea seemed like a perfect one and riding the wave of two successful, single-day Anjunabeach events in Miami and Huntington Beach, there was definitely hype surrounding something larger.
After the official announcement of Anjunabeach Riviera Maya though, there was a sticker shock for many as the event would exceed $3,000 prior to purchasing a flight. While some were still stoked, others took to social media to express their thoughts on the matter to state that they felt left out due to the high cost and clear exclusivity of the event.
With presales starting yesterday, many had made plans and purchasing airfare to lock in lower rates. It is clear that the conversation about the high price and feeling of exclusion reached the trio though, and today an official statement was released to the Official Anjunafamily Facebook Group stating the event would be canceled.
Above & Beyond’s Official Statement regarding the cancellation:
It’s with much regret that we have to announce that Anjunabeach Riviera Maya has been cancelled. We’ll explain why shortly but first, we want to apologise to all of you who bought tickets and were excited for the show, and reassure you that full refunds will be issued, including any air travel booked. Fans who purchased all-inclusive packages will receive direct communication with from CID Presents in the coming days with full refund directions.
When this idea was initially mooted by the boffins at Anjuna Institute Of Definitive Human Experiences, we knew it was an ambitious aim to take several thousand of you away to a beach paradise for a long weekend, completely immersed in music and surrounded by your fellow Anjunafamily. When you add up the 30-odd artists we had planned, the 200 on-site staff, the bespoke production and light installations and pop-up surprise parties, it was always going to be a huge undertaking.
Our partners set a package price significantly higher than the average A&B show but ultimately necessary to help us achieve our full ambition and, with initial feedback positive and pre-sale signups numbering over 10,000, at first we felt good about how the event was being received.
But, having listened carefully to all of your feedback – and after doing a lot of soul searching – it’s apparent this foray into a new event format isn’t coming together the way we intended, and so we’ve taken the difficult decision not to proceed with it.
We heard from some that the price point felt too much of a stretch, or that this event felt too exclusive, and were disappointed that this amazing experience wasn’t accessible for more people. All this feedback we have taken to heart. We can only do what we do when we have your support, and you’ve told us loud and clear that we got this one wrong.
The dream of Anjunabeach is still alive. We will make it happen somehow, somewhere, but in the meantime, we’re still focused on bringing you events like ABGT250 – affordable weekends away in nature, united by music, together as a family. For some time now we’ve been scouting locations on both sides of the atlantic and further afield, and will obviously bring you news on those ideas as soon as we can.
In the meantime, thank you for your honesty and feedback – it has given us pause to reflect on what sort of live experience you want.
– A&B and AnjunaHQ
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