Desert Daze Cancels 2024; Cites Production Costs, ‘Volatile Festival Market’

Less than two weeks after announcing a final lineup that included headliners Thundercat, Jack White and Cigarettes After Sex, the organizers of Desert Daze – scheduled for Oct. 10-13, 2024 in Lake Perris, California – announced the festival is canceled because of “rising production costs and the current volatile festival market.”

Saying they are “heartbroken” at the turn of events, organizers say all pass holders will be refunded and will be contacted directly via their point of purchase.

Among the performers expected to appear at Desert Daze were 100 gecs, Fleet Foxes, The Mars Volta, Liz Phair, De La Soul, Marc Rebillet and Say She She and dozens of other artists over the three days.

The cancellation follows that of 2023’s Desert Daze, which was supplanted wit “Daze In The City,” a series of club and theater dates around Southern California. It’s not clear a similar attempt will happen with 2024’s cancellation, but noted that all Desert Daze Productions shows would “move forward as planned.”

“As an independent festival, an increasing rarity in today’s festival market, Desert Daze is run by a small team of people who love live music and this community,” Desert Daze organizers stated. “Unfortunately, due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market, it is no longer possible to execute the weekend as planned.

“Desert Daze is more than a festival or business venture to us,” notes Desert Daze co-founder Phil Pirrone. “The community that we’ve cultivated together means so much to us and is the reason we will work to find a way to keep this beautiful thing going for many years to come.”

“With each year, we do our best to serve the Desert Daze community,” adds Pirrone. “We are always learning and working diligently to improve the experience, and we tried everything to find a way forward this year. While we hit pause for now, we will be working in the background to deliver another special experience for all of us to share in the future. We thank you for your support.”