This weekend’s Curveball festival at the Watkins Glen International Raceway, New York, has been cancelled at the last minute due to severe flooding in the area.
The event was once again due to be hosted by Phish, who say they are “in shock” at the news and were themselves only told by authorities that the festival was off just as they were preparing for their soundcheck.
Schuyler County has experienced severe flooding over the past week which has resulted in the local water treatment plant that services the Curveball site to be contaminated.
Phish say in a statement: “The four of us are writing this from directly behind the stage at Watkins Glen. We were about to walk onstage only moments ago for our traditional soundcheck jam for Curveball when we were told the heartbreaking news that due to the unsafe water conditions in the Village of Watkins Glen, our beloved festival is being cancelled.
“We are still in shock. The entire site is already set up and ready to go after literally months of work by our beloved hardworking crew, many of whom have been here for weeks.
“Our families are here, our gear is set, our tents are up. We keep waiting for someone to come over and tell us that there is a solution, and that the festival can go on. Unfortunately, it is not possible.
“We are so terribly sorry for the inconvenience that this is causing so many of you. We hope from the bottoms of our hearts that at the very least this news will reach you before too much disruption takes place in your personal lives. We know that people traveled far, at great expense.
“We understand that people are missing work, and changing their schedules around. We wish so much that there was some way that this wasn’t happening.”
The statement continues: “This summer has been absolutely joyous, with each gig building on the previous one, and we were all buzzing with excitement about Curveball. Please accept our deepest apologies for the disruption that this has caused all of you. We wish there was something else we could say.
“Thank you all from the depths of our souls for the joy that you continue to share with us every night. This has been the greatest summer we can remember. Travel safe and know that we are as heartbroken as all of you.”
Fans already at the site are allowed to stay overnight, with the camping area closing at 12noon ET tomorrow (August 18).
Details about refunds will be issued in due course.
