Cincy Festival Canceled

Cincinnati, Ohio’s Jammin’ On Main festival has been canceled for 2005, with organizers citing losses of up to $200,000 over the last two years. Still, they are hopeful for the event’s return in future years.

The fest, organized by the Music & Event Management subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has recently been plagued by bad weather. It was canceled in 2001 when a police shooting resulted in street riots and boycotts of the city by many performers.

The CSO made the announcement January 18th, citing “escalating costs, adverse weather conditions and an overall reduction in sponsorship support,” according to the Cincinnati Post.

While there’s been local speculation that Clear Channel Entertainment’s Cincinnati office might take over the festival, the paper reported that insiders doubted CCE would step in for the same reasons the current organizers are backing out.

“Two years ago, we had sheet rain and tornado warnings,” Music & Event Management CEO Mike Smith told the newspaper. “Last year was not much better. That coupled with the current escalation of talent fees and production costs make it untenable under current circumstances.”

Smith told the city’s Enquirer newspaper that booking costs were up as much as 70 percent “over the last several years,” and production costs up about 5 percent.

Recent performers at Jammin’ On Main included John Mayer, Los Lonely Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Journey, REO Speedwagon, and Blondie.