Hundreds of unwanted visitors descended on Squamish Valley Campground this weekend in anticipation of a rave that wasn't there.
Summer Break Music Festival 8 was expected to draw approximately 3,000 attendees to a long line-up of top name electronic music DJs, according to promoters.And organizers have for months been broadcasting the event as taking place at the campground this weekend. The $100 tickets sold to ravers were even stamped with the campground address at 16.5 Mile Squamish Valley Road.
"I think it's a scam," said campground owner Ali Abolfathi, adding he has no idea why organizers would send concert goers to his site.
He said he was pleased by his recent experience hostingthe fully permitted show, Bass Coast Project. But, he said,the Summer Break Music Festival situation has caused him days of grief and anuntold number of encounters with angry and upset ravers.
"I've been turning people away all the time since before midnight [Thursday Aug. 27]," he fumed as cars lined the campground's entrance. "How irresponsible is this? One girl came from Lethbridge, Alberta. She started crying."
The situation alsocreated havoc for RCMP and officials at the Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), who had not issued the necessary permits for the event.
David Goroztietta, apromoter with Devils and Angels Promotions, which is putting on the event, said in an interview with The Chief that the show includes four stages in the "relaxed setting" of the Squamish Valley.
"We're there not to bother anyone," he said.
When told the campground ownerdidn't knowabout the show, he said he had no answers.
"I have no idea what`s going on," he said.
Shortly afterward,as he himself was on his way to Squamish to perform, he told The Chief he discovered the venue was actually up the Mamquam Forest Service Road.
It's not uncommon for rave organizers to keep the location of their shows secret until the day of the event, said Abolfathi, and that may have been the case this weekend."Some people [turned away] were even excited, like it's now an adventure to find it."
By Friday, people logging on to www.summerbreakmusicfestival.com were told to phone a number for directions to the event. A message at the number directed callers to a location off theMamquam Forest Service Road at Rafuse Creek.
Permitting for the event remains a mystery. Although initial RCMP reports stated BC Parks and Forestry permitted the event, a Forestry staffer said it was actually permitted through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts (MOTCA). A spokesperson for MOTCA said permits are not issued through the ministry.
Either way, said Cpl. Dave Ritchie, there will be discussions to ensure that the province advises RCMP and other emergency respondents of permitted events in the future.
"We're going to have a debrief with them and tell them that had the forest caught on fire or had the place turned into a riot and none of use were aware of it... that we need to make sure everybody's on the same page and everybody communicates with everybody," said Ritchie.
Abolfathi said he will contact a lawyer seeking restitution for his work and grief.
