An EDM (electronic dance music) festival scheduled to take place just outside Hanoi from November 23 to 25 was asked to cancel only hours before its opening, despite sold tickets and foreign and local artists and volunteers already heading to the venue.
Artists and visitors on dozens of buses traveling some 40 kilometers from central Hanoi to the venue of the Quest Festival on Friday morning were shocked to learn that the event was canceled.
Quest Festival, now in its sixth edition, is known for its scenic setting against a backdrop of beautiful mountains and surrounded by a lake perfect for swimming in Son Tinh camp in the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Son Tay Town of Hanoi’s Ba Vi District.
The artists and visitors were stopped right outside the camp, with all entry denied.
They only got to know that the festival was canceled through a notice posted at the village gate at 7:46 am while it was due to open at 12:00 pm, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Ngan, deputy chief of the village management board, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper the same day that she had been working with local police to stop the festival from proceeding.
According to Ngan, the decision is in compliance with the law as the music festival is not licensed by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports as of Friday morning.
Read the complete report on Tuoi Tre News.
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