Texas Eclipse Festival Canceled Hours Before Eclipse Set To Begin
Today millions of people across America and beyond are making their way to the path of totality, a strip of land across the United States where a full solar eclipse will be viewable this afternoon. Texas is an especially good viewing spot, which has occasioned some special events like Vampire Weekend’s album release show that doubles as an eclipse viewing party. A far larger event called Texas Eclipse, which launched Friday and continues through Tuesday, has assembled hundreds of electronic music acts at Reveille Ranch in Burnet County. That event is… not going well.
Myriad complaints about the chaotic camping experience at Texas Eclipse have materialized online, including widespread finger-pointing at promoter Disco Donnie. One Reddit post titled “Worst Camping Experience ever, Worst venue ever.” describes a campsite covered with rocks, an hour-long walk from the campsite to the festival grounds, so much dust that people are “blowing mud boogers” even when wearing masks, depressing ADA accommodations on a steep rocky slope, and a complete absence of bottled water in favor of Liquid Death cans that cannot be resealed. “The hour + walk to the festival has no signs or guidance of any kind and sometimes no clear path so you are walking through cactus filled areas, the person writes. “Our closest restroom was 20 minutes away and we have no clean water.”
Another Reddit post titled “Looks like Texas Eclipse is turning into a Fyre situation.” reiterates the issues with water and dust while adding further problems to the mix. “Artists being turned away and the ones that stay don’t have places to sleep. I’ve seen a couple of them so upset they’re posting about it,” it reads. “They somehow managed to oversell rv with electrical by 400 spots so people are losing their food.” Tweets from the event describe people stranded for 12 hours, the propane supply for a whole campsite being confiscated, no bathroom or shower access after 7PM, dogs searching every car and RV, and a confusing festival map where north was, for some reason, oriented to the left of the page instead of the top.
A message from Texas Eclipse organizers on social media acknowledges some of the campers’ complaints:
Chasers! We’re committed to enhancing your Texas Eclipse experience. Our teams are actively addressing your concerns, including adding more water stations, signage in camping areas, and shuttles from Over Yonder camping to Skylab Station. Free paper maps will also be available at entrances. Utilize our shuttles for easy navigation between campgrounds & the festival. Share any observations or feedback via our helpline at 561-247-3339
Those damage control posts are attracting more complaints in the comments. Also, it’s supposed to rain today and tomorrow in Burnet County, jeopardizing people’s chances of even seeing the eclipse.
UPDATE: The remainder of the festival has been cancelled due to the severe weather forecast “including risks of high winds, tornadic activity, large hail, and thunderstorms for later today, including during the eclipse, Tuesday, and Wednesday.”
https://twitter.com/ItzKingLuna/status/1777039224245477750
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UPDATE (4/11): The organizers behind the Texas Eclipse festival have shared a lengthy statement on their website and social media accounts, addressing the last-minute cancellation and attempting to clarify the conditions at the festival site.
