Update Aug. 28 at 8:50 a.m.: The saga continues with Starfest, the music festival that we have called "confusing and confused."
According to a press release sent Aug. 28 from Starfest, the original date of Sept. 8-9 has officially been changed, though no new dates have been made available.
A venue has not been named, either, though the release states the new venue is "only 20 miles away from postponed Plano event."
Starfest's Derrick Dzurko still promises "an impressive roster list of A-list celebrity recording artist, insuring a celebrated concert experience for its upcoming two-day extravaganza," in a statement. We'll continue to update this story with details.
Update Aug. 24 at 1:18 p.m.: It appears Starfest is homeless once again. Following conversations with Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, the festival posted on its website the deal did not work out.
Paul Monroe, director of marketing at Lone Star Park, previously told GuideLive there was a scheduling conflict with the festival's original dates, Sept. 8 and 9. Now a note on the event's website says it is seeking a new home -- again.
"The team at Lone Star Park has been diligently working with us directly to help facilitate us with other dates in one capacity or another," reads the note. "This unfortunately may cause us to push back our event or move locations. More details to follow, but this Cinderella Story is not over yet!"
Because of the move, Starfest had lowered its ticket prices, even after reportedly refunding all of the original sales. General admission costs $49 for single-day access and $90 for a weekend pass. If you'd like a seat, tickets run $85 for one day and $150 for two days. If you want a VIP experience, expect to pay $250-$750 per ticket. There's also a luxury VIP suite experience that starts at $15,000 — yes, with that many zeros.
Original story:
Starfest, the "pop-up" festival that's become recently infamous in North Texas' music community, has lost its venue.
The event was slated to take place Sept. 8-9 at Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve in Plano, but the city announced Thursday morning it has pulled out of its agreement to host.
"The city of Plano has decided to terminate our contract with the promoters of the Starfest Music Festival," reads a statement. "We believe the cancellation of this contract is in the best interest of the city and our community."
David Taylor, one of Starfest's co-founders, said there is a clause in the contract that states the festival must give Plano 48 hours advance notice on the artists being booked "to let them see if it's something acceptable to their terms" or the city has a right to terminate the agreement.
A copy of the termination letter sent to Starfest Wednesday and obtained by GuideLive states the festival failed to comply with portions of the agreement that say the city and the event promoters would mutually agree on headliners, and that Starfest would provide Plano with executed artist contracts 48 hours before making public announcements.
"What I've been trying to give them is full transparency with every artist," Taylor tells GuideLive. "Unfortunately they're feeling the pressure of a lot of negative press on the festival. They're nervous for their reputation I guess."
In addition to news coverage, including a story we posted that says Starfest is "making local music history for all the wrong reasons," a reported lawsuit alleges that Starfest stiffed a promoter on commission. Taylor says the lawsuit is unfounded and being handled by Starfest's legal team.
Steve Stoler, director of media relations for the city of Plano, couldn't elaborate on specifics but said: "The city notified the promoters that they failed to comply with the terms of the contract. Based on that, we sent them a letter of termination of the contract."
Since being announced, Starfest has raised eyebrows for its lofty ambitions. It announced its existence and first headliner, Lil Wayne, just five weeks before the scheduled festival dates and promised an additional 60 bands. The reported "pop-up" model meant announcing just one or a couple of bands at a time, and Taylor previously told us he didn't plan to release the full lineup until the day of the event — an unconventional tactic, to say the least.
"In its attempt to be unique, Starfest has, so far, accomplished little more than to be annoying," said our music critic Kelly Dearmore.
Though Plano has officially bowed out of the contract, Taylor is hopeful about working out a new agreement with the city of Plano. And if not?
"We've got some alternative sites picked out," Taylor says.
