Car Fire, Aggressive Police Searches Reported at Sol Fest 2024

The 2024 edition of Sol Fest was overshadowed for some by a handful of mishaps.

Most who made the trek to attend Sol Fest 2024 surely enjoyed state-of-the-art production values and performances from some of EDM’s biggest names. For others, though, a series of incidents made this past weekend in Ponce de Leon, Florida a nightmare.

A blaze broke out around 2am early Sunday morning, incinerating three cars and damaging another. According to The Festive Owl, early speculation suggests that the fire was not started on purpose and was caused by an attendee charging a battery via the vehicle.

According to eyewitnesses, it took 35 minutes for authorities and firefighters to arrive and an additional 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Nobody sustained any injuries in connection to the blaze.

Attendees also took to social media to complain about logistical issues as well as heavy-handed searches from local law enforcement. The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office did little to help matters. On Sunday afternoon, it published a Facebook post with the mug shots and full names of 14 detainees, some with offenses as minor as “possession of THC vape” or “possession of marijuana.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, an employee of Vortex Spring, the venue where Sol Fest took place, attacked a deputy, tried to take his gun, and bit a chunk out of the back of his head. The post, which included a graphic photo, identified the man as James Michael Anders and alleged that he was under the influence of “PCP, LSD, ketamine, mushrooms, and ecstasy.”

For their part, Sol Fest acknowledged this year’s setbacks in a statement. “We are aware of the various issues that arose throughout the event,” it reads. “And will be sending out a Sol Fest guest experience survey this week to collect attendee feedback.”

Sol Fest has yet to announce the dates for its 2025 edition at the time of writing. With any luck, this year’s difficulties won’t make it another casualty of recent changes in the festival market.

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