The inaugural Lift Off Festival, celebrating Latinx music and culture, cancelled all performances for its second day, Sunday, August 12.
After what appeared to be a successful first day, event organizers made the call Sunday morning to cancel appearances by Lenin Ramirez, Sofia Reyes and Reik, among others. “We had a great day and night at Lift Off on Saturday, August 11 – with world-class performances by the artists and an electric crowd atmosphere,” Lift Off Festival co-executive producer Ivan Lopez wrote in an email.
Attendee reactions ranged from outrage to sympathy as Instagram comments rolled in on the festival’s announcement post. Instagram user @citlallimagali responded with indignation to the cancellation, citing frustration over both the earlier removal of Wisin y Yandel from the lineup as well as fan anticipation of the event.
“Don’t get me wrong, yesterday event was genuinely great;” she typed, “however, it’s messed up that we were let known of that today’s event would be canceled a few hours before.”
@citlallimagali doesn’t speak for all attendees, however. Hers seems to be in the minority of reactions, as others voiced support for a Chicago festival unique in its showcasing of urban Latinx talent from the underground to the mainstream.
“I’ve always waited for a fest like this to take place in Chicago,” commented Instagram user @urkaguary. “We have always needed a platform for urban Latin music and this was it. Whatever it was that prompted this, I hope we can still work through it so we could create an even (better) Lift Off ’19.”
Speculation on the festival’s announcement post suggested low second-day ticket sales may have fueled the decision. Many respondents, however, expressed support for and hope for the future of the festival.
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