A Chicago music festival has been cancelled due to endangered birds being present on the site.
Due to take place August 23-24, Mamby on the Beach had a line-up boasting the likes of Brockhampton, Troye Sivan, Flying Lotus, and T-Pain. Now, it’s been confirmed that the event has been scrapped, with organisers citing “circumstances beyond our control” as the reason.
In an official statement issued on Friday (July 19), the festival added: “These unforeseen issues include significantly higher than average waters of Lake Michigan eliminating the beach portion of our intended site. Additionally, our original footprint was affected by the presence of the Great Lakes Piping Plover shorebirds, a federally protected species.”
— Mamby On The Beach (@Mambybeach) July 19, 2019
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, two piping plovers – a federally protected species – have been nesting on the festival site of Montrose Beach. Three chicks have now hatched, which are the first to be hatched in the area in over 60 years.
Organisers explained to ticket-holders that they attempted to secure an alternative site to host their event, but were ultimately unsuccessful with the festival fast-approaching.
“Despite working tirelessly with the Chicago Park District and US Fish and Wildlife Services to find a new location, moving the festival at this late a date, while still providing a superior beach event experience, would be impossible and a disservice to fans and artists alike,” they said.
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Purchased tickets will be refunded within five to 10 working days.
Last year’s Mamby on the Beach welcomed performances from Cold War Kids, Tune-Yards, Oh Wonder, and more.
Meanwhile, would-be headliners Brockhampton recently announced that their new album ‘Ginger’ will arrive next month. The group debuted one of its songs during a festival appearance last weekend.