Blue Spring Festival delay sparks anger just five days before scheduled start

Fans were left scrambling to cancel hotel bookings and flights after the Blue Spring Festival announced a three-week delay just days before its scheduled start.

The original Blue Spring Festival line-up, as announced on March 25. Several acts have since pulled out of the festival over scheduling difficulties. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Fans were left scrambling to cancel hotel bookings and flights after the Blue Spring Festival announced a three-week delay just days before its scheduled start.

The delay was announced by the music festival’s organizers on Monday through its official Instagram account, five days before the festival was due to start on Saturday.

Blue Spring Festival will now be reduced to a two-day event, set to be held on May 25 and 26.

“We were unable to reach a final consensus with the venue regarding its noise level requirements, therefore we have decided to delay the festival,” the organizers said in an Instagram post on Monday.

The festival's new location and artist lineup will be announced later this week.

Many artists in the festival’s original lineup, including Cravity, Kim Jae-joong, Wheein, QWER, B.I and more, have already pulled out.

The sudden announcements angered fans online.

“I’m coming from abroad. I’ve already booked my flights and hotels and I can’t cancel it. I booked it to attend the concert. How are you making this announcement [so close to the dates?]” reads a fan’s comment which received over 250 likes.

“Why do the audiences have to deal with the consequences? Why couldn’t you have made this announcement earlier?” another comment reads.

Many have also pointed out that releasing such a statement only through the organizer's Instagram account made the announcement even less accessible.

The organizers suffered through a similar controversy last year with their Youth Summer Night Festival, a two-day festival set to be held on Sept. 2 and 3, which was adjusted to the split dates of Sept. 2 and 24 a few days before the festival’s scheduled dates.

While the organizers deleted their Instagram notice detailing the date changes, a post from Sept. 1, 2023, announcing its new ticket refund policies, remains on their Instagram account, with many concertgoers' angry comments still there — a déjà vu of this year.

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BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]