Venue ‘discriminatory,’ fest planners say
Organizers of a family festival featuring Black and Latino performers say it was canceled by the venue “due to discriminatory action.”
The Kids Let’s Party Fest was scheduled to take place Sunday at Levy Park in the Upper Kirby District with a lineup that included Nickelodeon star That Girl Lay Lay, father-andson duo Enkyboys and singer Adassa, who voiced Dolores Madrigal in the Disney film “Encanto.”
Less than 48 hours before gates were set to open, festival producer Ernesto “Chuly” Diaz says the park informed him via email that they were canceling it.
“We've been producing concerts all over Texas, Louisiana, Florida. We have never encountered a situation like this. Never in 30 years,” Diaz said after a news conference at Woodshed Smokehouse, adjacent to the park. Diaz was joined by That Girl Lay Lay, Adassa and Texas radio personality Jimmy Olson, another of the festival’s producers.
"It has to be discrimination. What other thing can it be?” Diaz said.
In an emailed statement, Levy Park officials claimed “Mr. Diaz failed to provide all the requirements for use of the park for an event of this scale, including copies of applicable City of Houston permits, a security control plan, a site layout that complied with his permitted use of the park, locations of entrance and exit points, and when festival staff and contractors would be onsite.”
Sunday afternoon, young fans and their parents wandered around the park grounds, searching unsuccessfully for the festival. Some were dressed as Adassa’s character from “Encanto,” big red bows holding up their dark curly hair. Others clutched colorful drawings of the animated star.
“I know y’all were very excited. I wanna say it’s not our fault. I don’t want y’all to think that we were part of an event that wasn’t real. The event was very much real,” Lay Lay said.
Adassa was particularly “saddened” because Houston holds a special place in her heart. She stayed for an hour after the news conference, signing autographs, posing for photos and singing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” with fans.
“It’s the first time I’ve been back to Houston in years. This is where I met my husband. This is where I started my career. I went to high school here,” said Adassa, who attended Conroe High School.
Earlier this week, a red banner alert appeared atop the park website announcing the event “will not be held” and directed all questions to a phone number for the festival. Diaz said he wasn’t made aware of the cancellation until after the notice appeared. Both Adassa and Lay Lay also said they received messages from multiple fans about the status of the event.
Diaz also claims park employees, for at least two weeks, have told people who called to inquire about the festival that there was no such event happening. The park never listed the festival on its website or promoted it on social media channels.
In a recorded phone call obtained by the Chronicle, a park employee tells a caller “there’s no festival at Levy Park on Sunday.”
When the caller asks if it was canceled, she responds, “I don’t know what to tell you. I have no idea.”
The park’s emailed statement said “events cannot be publicized without certain items being in place, including an executed contract and compliance with Levy Park guidelines” and that “our contract with Mr. Diaz does not require us to publicize his event in any way.”
Texas radio personality and festival co-producer Jimmy Olson, who plans to put on a similar event in Tyler, believes park officials balked when they saw the Black and Latino performers on the flyer.
“This was about families, kids. Of all the things that you might have a problem with, what else could it have been but the colors on that flyer?” he said. “It’s about skin color. It’s about nothing else.
“I would like for the Upper Kirby District to do the right thing. I would like for them to admit what they did because this should never happen again. This is the most diverse city in the country.”
The event was originally scheduled for June 25 at The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park but moved to June 26 to steer clear of the Pride Houston festival and parade. It was moved again to July 17 at Levy Park to accommodate Lay Lay, who was attending the BET Awards.
Diaz now plans to put on the festival at a different venue and will offer everyone free admission.