Closed Road Hinders Hawaii Fest

Paradise Music Festival, presented by Shaka Entertainment, was slated to feature A$AP Ferg, Bro Safari, Doctor P, Shwayze, and The Green, among many other acts, food and a beer garden in the community of Kahuku, Oahu.

But fans who drove up to the festival site the day of the show were met by a locked gate with a canceled sign, the local KHON-TV reported.

In a statement on Facebook, Shaka wrote that the company had encountered “serious problems with the venue. … The landlord hadn’t told us that the only access road to the property was privately owned until Thursday, leaving us with no other option but to shut it down.”

Paradise operations manager Austin Dimaya had the same explanation for KHON – the fest had secured permits before the event, but the owner of the land hadn’t informed them of an issue with a private road leading into the property.

“We had everything set, permit was fine,” Dimaya said. “We had the land all set. But unfortunately, the day before the event, the owner did not and could not get us a grant on Charlie Road, which is a private military road. Unfortunately, that’s what had to shut down operations, in which they locked all of our equipment and won’t give us access to it.

“We tried really numerous attempts, to keep it running, to keep it going for all you guys out there, and unfortunately right now, the show must go on, we have to make different options,” Dimaya added.

In place of the festival, Shaka Entertainment organized a bar crawl and a beach party with the artists, noting that all tickets sold would be accepted at the bars and at the party.

The company issued another apology on Facebook days later noting that festival ticketer, Flavorus, “is issuing refunds to anyone that didn’t attend the event. For people that purchased physical tickets and want a refund please return the entire ticket to the person/place you bought it from.

“We want everyone to know that Shaka Entertainment will be returning stronger than ever with another huge event later this year. Our mission is to provide the highest and most unique quality of entertainment that the music industry has to offer to our concert attendees and we will forever pursue this mission,” the statement said.