Riot Fest has sadly just announced it will not be returning to Denver in 2017. The festival, which has a four-year history with the city, confirmed the news via a statement earlier today.
After having made history in 2016 with a reunion of horror punk legends the Misfits, Riot Fest Denver will be closing its doors, at least for now. The decision, according to organizers, is directly linked with last year’s passing of festival organizer Sean McKeough, who was instrumental in the growth of the eclectic music fest and sideshow carnival.
“As many of you know, the Riot Fest family lost one of its leaders late last year: our beloved Sean McKeough,” the festival stated in a release. “Riot Mike’s partner, Sean, was a fearless leader who worked tirelessly to plan, organize and execute the production of our festivals each year. He was an integral part of our team and it has been difficult to envision a Riot Fest without him.”
Originally held in the nearby town of Byers, Riot Fest Denver faced its share of difficulties since its inception in 2013. The festival has had several homes over the years, among them the Sports Authority Field At Mile High and its most recent National Western Complex, where it seemed to finally find a match.
Although today certainly marks a depressing day in music festival history, Riot Fest (who expressed hope that their absence is only temporary) may one day — just as Glenn Danzig and company did last year — make a triumphant return… in Denver.
If one thing is for sure, it’s that midwest-based Riot Festies can count on the return of the flagship festival event in Chicago this September. “We owe it to Sean to throw the absolute best festival we can,” read Riot Fest’s statement, “and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Riot Fest Chicago takes place Sept. 15-17, 2017. Click here for event and ticketing info and see Riot Fest’s complete statement below:
“To all of our Fans and Patrons,
First and foremost, thank you for your support, loyalty, and enthusiasm regarding Riot Fest’s endeavors – you are the lifeblood that keeps us going!
As many of you know, the Riot Fest family lost one of its leaders late last year: our beloved Sean McKeough. Riot Mike’s partner, Sean, was a fearless leader who worked tirelessly to plan, organize and execute the production of our festivals each year. He was an integral part of our team and it has been difficult to envision a Riot Fest without him.
This September will see our 13th Riot Fest in Chicago and we are very excited to share another year here with you. It saddens us to say, however, that we will not be able to return to Denver in 2017. Without Sean’s massive contributions, taking on more than one festival this year is, unfortunately, simply not possible. That said, we hope our absence from Denver is only temporary.
To all of our friends in Denver, we love you and we appreciate you making us feel at home in your amazing city. We can never thank you enough for embracing us as you did, and we hope to see as many of you as possible in Chicago this September!
To our Chicago perennials and all who have or will travel to the fest – we owe it to Sean to throw the absolute best festival we can and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
We appreciate your continued support & can’t wait to unveil the Riot Fest 2017 lineup, so stay tuned. Hope to see you in Chicago.”