Inaugural NZ GrassRoots Festival Canceled

The inaugural GrassRoots Festival, scheduled over the Easter weekend April 23-24 in New Zealand, has been canceled.

A statement from Chugg Entertainment cited “the consequential standstill with which the entire country has come to” after the earthquakes in Christchurch.

“We do not feel right seeking real media coverage for the festival while the country is so affected by this terrible disaster,” the statement read. “In its first year, promoters felt it vital to preserve the brand for future opportunities and do not wish to see the high calibre of acts playing to a crowd any smaller than they deserve, due to unfortunate timing and circumstance.”

The 15,000-capacity show on Puhinui Peninsula, about an hour south of Auckland, included B.B. King, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello and Ben Harper on its bill.

Until the quakes, the event was selling up to 100 tickets a day. A day after the earthquake, it sold two.

Chugg Entertainment also canceled the Christchurch leg of Santana’s tour. The guitarist and his band were to play CBS Canterbury Arena March 22.