As we reported on Tuesday, there is still very little information out about the event, which is scheduled to begin at 4:20 p.m. (funny!) Saturday, November 10, in Mesa. New evidence, however, leads us to believe that the festival, for which organizers are selling tickets ranging from $75 to $1,200, may not happening at all.
New Times put in a call to the city of Mesa Licensing Department on Wednesday afternoon. Officials confirmed that no permits have been filed under the venue’s address,1901 North Alma School Road, or the name Unity Summit Music Festival.
When we drove by the site this morning, we found what was essentially a vacant lot. There were no stages, tents, or portable toilets set up. We did, however, find signs left behind from the Scarizona Scaregrounds, a haunted house attraction that ended its run on November 3. All of this contradicts a post made by festival co-founder Runar Berntsen that the stage has already been set up.
Although a full lineup still has yet to appear, we know a little more about who supposedly will be playing the festival. Mellow Man Ace and DJ Rectangle will be playing, according to a Facebook post by festival associate Rose Lovato, who is a marketing manager at Maya New York Pizza Bar and Grill. The restaurant located at 223 East Brown Road in Mesa is one of the 10 satellite locations for the event.
Since our story ran on Tuesday morning, New Times received several emails from people stating that performers had to sign nondisclosure agreements. These accounts also describe chaos and unprofessionalism behind the scenes. Another email we received stated they are receiving requests to invest in the festival.
Meanwhile, Delyric Entertainment's Facebook page is giving followers "an opportunity for a short-term, high-risk high yield investment." They link to the Unity Summit Music Festival's web address.
We did direct message the festival organizer's to their Facebook page. They did not respond as of press time.
More details will be added to this post as they become available.
Update: As of 10:38 a.m., their Eventbrite page is down.
So the Unity Summit Music Festival’s Eventbrite page is down...@phoenixnewtimes https://t.co/YtCDBzBg96 pic.twitter.com/WBuXt15XDf
— Jason Keil (@jasonekeil) November 9, 2018
