Cash flow woes postpone WonderRoad Festival
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The crowd cheers at WonderRoad 2023 in Garfield Park. Photo: Courtesy of Elevation Festivals/Vasquez Photography
WonderRoad, the Indianapolis music festival that has rocked Garfield Park for two straight summers, will miss its usual June date as organizers seek a way to cover the concert's tab.
Why it matters: As Indianapolis continues to get skipped by major tours, local music lovers quickly flocked to the two-day event at Indy's oldest park when it debuted in 2022 to fill the void.
- Despite WonderRoad organizers saying the event nearly hit its daily cap of 10,000 attendees in consecutive years, unexpected financial challenges have left the event's future in limbo.
- "It costs a lot of money to run these events and the second half of last year was really tough," organizers said in a statement.
Driving the news: Ohio-based events company Elevation Group announced across social media that all of the shows under its WonderFest banner have been put on hold until further notice.
- That includes WonderRoad in Indianapolis, WonderBus in Columbus, WonderWorks in Pittsburgh and the flagship show Wonderstruck in Cleveland.
- Officials cite a difficult 2023 season that ended with members of the WonderFest team being left to cover concert costs as the reason behind the delays.
- "This was different from how things began and continues to be both deeply disappointing and unsustainable," the company statement said.
Between the lines: Questions about the status of the WonderFest shows began to pile up in recent weeks as 2024 trudged along with no lineup announcements in sight.
- Organizers have acknowledged the "radio silence" they've exhibited since last fall but made it clear that they have no intention of making the last WonderRoad Festival the final WonderRoad Festival.
- "The festival experience is incredible and hard to duplicate," organizers said. "The WonderFests may take place later than usual, but there are no plans to give up what we started."
What they're saying: "Like any industry, there are times of disruption and we have to adapt. Now is one of those times," said the WonderFest team. "What drives us to succeed is each of you. We all know that music festivals are the ultimate unifier of people."
💭 Justin's thought bubble: I do hope that WonderRoad bounces back ASAP because Indianapolis losing concerts or being snubbed by big shows is a story I'm sure we're all tired of sharing. Plus, any show that brings Chvrches to Indy's south side is one that I will forever stan.
What we're watching: To see if WonderRoad '24 still happens. Planners say they're looking for new partners to strengthen their vision and urge fans to stay locked to their socials as a concert announcement could drop out of nowhere.
- It will also be interesting to see what impact the delay might have on the All In Music & Arts Festival, which has taken over the Indiana State Fairgrounds the past two Septembers, and the new I Made Rock 'N' Roll Festival, which will bring Janelle Monaé and Gary Clark Jr. to the American Legion Mall in May.