Top 10 Worst Event Cancellation Stories

AI-generated promotional images promised a magical chocolate wonderland; families paid £35 to find a near-empty warehouse with a sad bouncy castle and a terrifying Oompa Loompa costume.

The festival's planned 50th anniversary with a rumored Paul McCartney headline was wiped out by COVID, devastating fans who had won the ballot for a once-in-a-lifetime milestone event.

London's Bloc Festival was shut down mid-event by police after overcrowding and structural concerns at the venue, leaving 15,000 electronic music fans stranded with no transport or refunds for weeks.

New York's Electric Zoo cancelled its final day after two attendees died from drug-related causes, leaving 30,000 Sunday ticket holders without refunds and sparking harm-reduction debates.

Hundreds of thousands of ticket holders were told they could not attend the delayed 2020 Olympics, with many international fans unable to recoup flights and accommodation already booked.

Coachella was postponed three times before being cancelled outright, with the promised Frank Ocean headline slot evaporating and ticket holders battling Goldenvoice for refunds for over a year.

Torrential rain flooded the Reading Festival campsite so severely that the river burst its banks, forcing thousands to evacuate and abandoning tents in waist-deep water.

Multiple dates of the arena show were cancelled with little notice, leaving families with non-refundable hotel and travel bookings and children in tears over broken dinosaur promises.

Miami's Ultra was cancelled just days before gates opened due to COVID, but instead of refunds, organizers offered ticket rollovers to 2021 — which was then also cancelled, trapping funds for two years.

AI-generated promotional images promised a magical chocolate wonderland; families paid £35 to find a near-empty warehouse with a sad bouncy castle and a terrifying Oompa Loompa costume.

The festival's planned 50th anniversary with a rumored Paul McCartney headline was wiped out by COVID, devastating fans who had won the ballot for a once-in-a-lifetime milestone event.

London's Bloc Festival was shut down mid-event by police after overcrowding and structural concerns at the venue, leaving 15,000 electronic music fans stranded with no transport or refunds for weeks.

New York's Electric Zoo cancelled its final day after two attendees died from drug-related causes, leaving 30,000 Sunday ticket holders without refunds and sparking harm-reduction debates.

Hundreds of thousands of ticket holders were told they could not attend the delayed 2020 Olympics, with many international fans unable to recoup flights and accommodation already booked.

Coachella was postponed three times before being cancelled outright, with the promised Frank Ocean headline slot evaporating and ticket holders battling Goldenvoice for refunds for over a year.

Torrential rain flooded the Reading Festival campsite so severely that the river burst its banks, forcing thousands to evacuate and abandoning tents in waist-deep water.

Multiple dates of the arena show were cancelled with little notice, leaving families with non-refundable hotel and travel bookings and children in tears over broken dinosaur promises.

Miami's Ultra was cancelled just days before gates opened due to COVID, but instead of refunds, organizers offered ticket rollovers to 2021 — which was then also cancelled, trapping funds for two years.