Ticket holders want answers after "unsanctioned" Toronto lantern festival shut down
People who bought tickets for a “magical” lantern festival outside of Toronto this weekend were met with shock and confusion upon arrival to find that it had been shut down, and was apparently completely unsanctioned.
Misled that the event would be taking place in the Toronto area, attendees were instead directed to a farm on Six Nations of the Grand River, over 100 kilometres away from the downtown core. That’s when they were suddenly steered away by local police without warning, sparking outrage.
The Six Nations have issued a statement on the matter, saying the lights festival “generated concern among community members due to the volume of attendees and the potential fire hazard it presented.”
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According to the release, “thousands of people descended on the territory” on Saturday for this event, resulting in “substantial traffic congestion, road closures, trespassing, property damage, and risk to pedestrians who parked their cars along the side of the road.”
The event was not sanctioned whatsoever, say Six Nations.
Six Nations Police were on scene, directing attendees away from the property, and advising event organizers not to light the lanterns due to the potential fire safety concerns.
Despite being warned, lanterns were still being lit by some individuals, violating health and safety directives.
“This unsanctioned event represents a callous disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the people of Six Nations,” said Elected Chief Mark Hill. “It is unacceptable that outside organizations think they can exploit our sovereignty for their own benefit.”
Organizers apologize and say event was legit
Organizers of the event have since released an apology and statement on its website to address the matter, saying the event had the proper permits and should not have run into issues.
“This event was 100% approved. We are still trying to figure out why this happened,” they said in the statement.
“We will make this right. We have already started the search for a new location that will properly host The Lights. And you will all be welcomed back to truly experience what this festival is all about.”
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In an Instagram post on the official event page, ticket holders allege they were given no notice, and arrived to a rural area with spotty cell service only to be told to leave.
“Drove down for two hours, so much traffic only to be directed away by police and was told it was cancelled. No communication from the team at all,” said commenter @cazandrabelen on the Instagram post.
“You guys really should’ve communicated that it was cancelled well in advance. We drove 1.5 hours with an infant in the car and found out from others. Extremely unprofessional and unorganized,” said @kabloomzia, another frustrated attendee.
The frustration has continued to pour in, as ticket holders continue to demand a resolution and financial compensation.
“If you think you can mess with Canadians, you’ve barked up the wrong maple tree” said @zoealexandra101 on the Instagram post.
Daily Hive continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they become available.