Treasure Island festival called off
Treasure Island Music Festival has been canceled this year, according to a statement issued on Monday, Aug. 5, by copromoters Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment, who said the beleaguered twoday concert will be put “on hiatus for the foreseeable future.”
“This has been an extremely tough decision to make for our teams as well after having built this festival up to be the amazing event it is today,” the statement continued.
The boutique indie music festival had taken a year off in 2017, when it was forced to relocate after a decade at its namesake location. The hiatus was to make way for a longawaited redevelopment project on Treasure Island, officials said. When it returned in 2018, while retaining its name, Treasure Island Music Festival relocated to Oakland’s Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.
The outdoor annual event launched in 2007, marking the first time live music was played for the public on Treasure Island since the Golden Gate International Exposition closed nearly 70 years earlier. Some memorable shows at the festival during its decadelong run have included stars like Beck, the National, Massive Attack, Death Cab for Cutie, Outkast, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, Best Coast and more.
The promoters were hit hard in 2016 as they marked Treasure Island Music Festival’s 10th anniversary. Just days before the festival, they had to improvise a new footprint on the southeastern point of the island adjacent to the Bay Bridge because construction booted it from its usual site on the Great Lawn, a 125,000squarefoot rectangle on the island’s west shore with views of the San Francisco skyline.
Then storms plagued the festival, with some acts canceling performances. Heavy winds and rain delayed many sets over the weekend, while others were completely washed out, including Duke Dumont, Flight Facilities and James Blake. Dozens of angry ticket holders threatened a classaction lawsuit against Another Planet and Noise Pop for claiming a “rain or shine” event when not all the artists advertised performed during the festival. A festival attendee was also injured after a vending machine toppled over on her due to the winds.
While the festival relocated to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park last year, the Port of Oakland was issued a ceaseanddesist order in July by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission to stop hosting events at the site.
“Bringing the festival back to life last year following the relocation was a massive undertaking, but with the new issues facing the site location, we feel strongly as though putting on a festival to the degree for which our fans have come to expect over the past decade is simply not possible,” the statement read.
According to an investigation by The Chronicle, BCDC officials repeatedly called out the port for violations — it is supposed to get the BCDC’s approval to hold any events — particularly the Treasure Island Music Festival, which caught the attention of the Save the Bay environmental watchdog group.
Another Planet Entertainment, coproduced by Superfly and Starr Hill, is still slated to bring its 12th Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this weekend, FridaySunday, Aug. 911; while Noise Pop is scheduled to host its annual 20th Street Block Party on Aug. 17.