‘Failed to Issue a Single Refund: New York AG Sues Music Festival That Allegedly Ghosted Fans
Billboard ·
New York watchdogs say the Evolutions Festival violated state law by pocketing more than $243,000 in advanced ticket sales for an event that never happened.
New York’s attorney general is suing an electronic dance music festival that was cancelled days before it was set to start and then “failed to issue a single refund to consumers.”
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday (Sept. 29) by Attorney General Letitia James , takes aim at the organizers of Evolutions Festival — a three-day event planned for September 2025 in upstate New York with Alison Wonderland , Of The Trees and Ganja White Night booked as headliners.
After “abruptly canceling” the festival less than two weeks before it was set to start, the AG says Evolutions has since refused to refund over $243,000 it collected in advanced ticket sales from more than 500 people.
“Concertgoers and vendors who spend their hard-earned money in New York should know that my office has their back,” said Attorney General James. “My office will never allow unsavory promoters to ruin that experience and take advantage of consumers or small business owners.”
Evolutions Festivals ran annually for five years before the 2025 iteration was suddenly cancelled, a move the organizers blamed on failures by the venue, Sugar Mountain Performing Arts Center. “The venue has not secured the necessary permitting for the festival, and as a result, we are unable to move forward with the event as planned.”
Sugar Mountain quickly disputed that account. In a public statement, the venue said it had all required permits and it was Evolutions failure to provide crucial paperwork, such as signed contracts and proof of liability insurance, that had scuttled the event.
Evolutions has since filed a lawsuit against Sugar Mountain, blaming the venue for the cancellation. The case claims that Sugar Mountain’s permits were insufficient to host the expected number of concertgoers, and that it had not secured necessary permits for alcohol to be served at the event. Sugar Mountain has denied the allegations and the case remains ongoing.
According to Tuesday’s lawsuit, the Evolutions organizers allegedly told the attorney general that it was only planning to issue refunds if it “succeeded in pending litigation against the venue.” But James says that’s not how the law works under New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which requires promoters to keep advance ticket funds in escrow or otherwise be able to offer refunds to buyers.
The lawsuit says the the Evolutions organizers “never offered refunds” to 521 people who bought tickets, prompting a slew of complaints to the attorney general. The group has also allegedly refused to return more than $21,000 collected from vendors.
The new case not only aims to force the festival organizers to refund all customers, but also a $5000 fine for every violation — nearly $6 million total if fully awarded. The AG also wants the group banned from hosting any additional events in New York state until it pays a $500,000 bond to ensure it complies with the rules.
The organizers named in the case, Evolutions Festival LLC, 845 Vibrations LLC and Michael and Justin Brown, could not immediately be reached for comment.