Oregon Music Festival Takes Losses After Blackout

The Britt Music & Arts Festival may lose thousands of dollars after strong winds caused a power outage Aug. 8.

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The festival in Jacksonville, Ore., was forced to shut down when strong winds twisted a power pole.

“We’ve never canceled a show when we had patrons on the hill,” Britt President and CEO Donna Briggs told the Mail Tribune. “This is the first time we have to call a show.”

The outage began just before Mexican classical guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela began their set.

The festivals will still need pay staff members and the artists, even though they didn’t perform. It will reimburse ticket-buyers.

“The artists get paid regardless of Mother Nature, — that’s in the contract,” Briggs said.

She told the Tribune that festival could not afford the high cost of insurance involved with covering more than 40 artists.

“It could result in a six-figure loss,” she told the paper.