A Belgian music festival has drawn the inevitable comparisons to Fyre Festival after it was cancelled at the last minute.

Back in April of 2017, the world of music festival gained a new standard for poor quality after the ill-fated Fyre Festival failed to take place in the Bahamas.

Two years on from the failed event, founder Billy McFarland has been sent to jail, there have been a number of documentaries about the circumstances leading up to its failure, and its name has become synonymous with music ventures that never quite got off the ground.

As you’d expect, most festivals would do their best to avoid being compared to such a colossal catastrophe, right? Well, it seems that Belgium’s VestiVille didn’t quite put in the legwork.

As Rolling Stone reports, the three-day VestiVille festival was supposed to take place from June 28th to June 30th in Lommel, Belgium, but was unceremoniously cancelled following safety concerns raised by Friday headliner A$AP Rocky.

Taking to Twitter, A$AP Rocky wrote that he was cancelling his set due to “security and infrastructure concerns”, before noting that “the promoters told me it would be handled but unfortunately for you and me they didn’t.”

Check out Tweet’s about the cancellation of VestiVille:

Before long, it was revealed that the festival itself had been cancelled, with organisers noting that the town’s mayor had formally put an end to the event.

“Today at 5:00 PM the mayor of Lommel decided to not let Vestiville start,” organisers explained in a statement. “After consultation with the security services and ASAP Rocky’s security officer, it was decided that the safety of the artist and the public could not be guaranteed.

“Production and suppliers have given everything to make Vestiville possible. The campsite will remain open for the time being and an organized festival exit will be organized in consultation with the municipality.

“The organization will now consult with their official partners about a refund.”

In an interview with VRT News, Lommel Mayor Bob Nijs explained that he “had no other choice” when it came to pulling the plug on the VestiVille celebrations.

“After taking soundings from security teams, the only conclusion was that the people’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed,” he explained. “It turned out the conditions had not been met.

“I don’t want to tell any parent tomorrow that we let the festival take place, but that something happened to their offspring at an unsafe event.”

While the festival was set to feature performances from the likes of Cardi B, Future, Jason Derulo, Migos, Meek Mill, and Ashanti, some fans have noted that the festival may have indeed been doomed due to the lineup’s inclusion of Ja Rule – a co-founder of the ill-fated Fyre Festival.

In somewhat related news, Ja Rule had also revealed plans for a “Fyre Festival 2.0”, calling the canceled event “the most iconic festival that never was”, and noting that “in the midst of chaos, there’s opportunity.” No word yet if the failures of VestiVille will also inform his future plans.

Check out ‘Always On Time’ by Ja Rule:

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