Good Vibes Festival 2024 is canceled, to refund all buyers

The Good Vibes Festival (GVF) announced today (July 1) that its 2024 event has been canceled.

Originally scheduled for July 20-21 at Resorts World Awana, the music festival received a letter dated June 27 from authorities stating that large-scale performances involving international artists should not take place on July 20, 2024 and should be postponed at a later date.

This is a tribute to the coronation ceremony of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

However, festival organizers Future Sound Asia (FSA) stressed that the GVF involved many touring bands, so rescheduling would not be possible.

Among the festival’s headliners were international artists such as Joji, Alec Benjamin, Bibi, J Balvin, Peggy Gou and many more. Malaysian artists such as Talitha., FUAD, FORCEPARKBOIS and many more were also scheduled to perform during the festival.

As a result, the FSA is cancelling its event entirely, with no plans to reschedule it.

All ticket purchases for the event will be automatically refunded in full to the payment method used for their purchase.

Full details of the authorities’ letter have not been released, so it is unclear whether the festival would be allowed to continue if it only featured local artists.

It is also regrettable that the FSA chose not to retain the second day of its festival.

Two in a row

The cancellation is the second in a row for the event, following the more abrupt cancellation of GVF last year following the fallout from controversial remarks and unruly conduct by The 1975 frontman Matt Healy.

The GVF 2023 has been cancelled following a directive from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs.

Last year’s cancellation didn’t just affect artists: local vendors were also left high and dry, with ingredients purchased and prepared but no one to sell to.

Not to mention, many spent time, money and effort on R&D and travel for the event, among other things.

Many have spoken out on the issue and thankfully the Malaysian community has come through, ensuring that small sellers’ expenses are not wasted.

One of the companies we spoke to at the time was Sausage Sizzle, whose founder Nazri shared that the team spent over RM15,000 on food stocks for the event.

This amount didn’t even take into account the cost of rental, accommodation, staff, logistics and, of course, the time and effort spent.

At the time of writing, it is unclear whether any vendors at this year’s event were affected.

The State of the Live Events Industry in Malaysia

Addressing the Matt Healy incident at a press conference for GVF last year, Para Rajagopal, president of the Association of Arts, Festivals and Live Events (ALIFE), said: “Every promoter walks on a very tightrope from the time we book the event until we host it. . We have a very tight job to do. Every day we hope that nothing happens.

There is no doubt that the live events industry in Malaysia has suffered hit after hit, after hit.

A few years ago, the pandemic severely affected the industry, and just as things seemed to be improving, unforeseen events rocked the industry again.

Sensitivities were heightened after the onstage incident in 1975, and we can all agree that things haven’t been quite the same since.

Fortunately, this year the festival was not cancelled due to a negative incident.

Regardless, this cancellation remains a shame for Malaysia’s live entertainment industry, which has received fewer opportunities than its neighbors like Singapore.

Many singers already leave Malaysia during their world tours. Organizing a festival like this encourages them and allows them to bring their music to the country. And more than entertainment, these events also bring in more money in terms of food and accommodation.

This cancellation, while less sudden than last year’s, could still leave a bitter taste in the mouths of international artists, travelers and even local vendors, and deter them from participating in future Malaysian events.

One can only hope that this will not be the case, and perhaps the third time will be the charm.

So, fingers crossed that the Good Vibes Festival makes a big return next year.

• Learn more about the Good Vibes Festival here.
• Read articles we have written about Malaysian startups here.

Featured Image Credit: Good Vibes Festival