‘Failed to Issue a Single Refund: New York AG Sues Music Festival That Allegedly Ghosted Fans

New York's Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Evolutions Festival organizers, alleging the event failed to issue refunds to over 500 ticket holders. The lawsuit, filed on September 29, claims Evolutions canceled the three-day music festival in upstate New York abruptly, less than two weeks before its scheduled start date in September 2025.

The organizers are accused of refusing to refund more than $243,000 collected from ticket sales, as well as failing to return $21,000 collected from vendors. Attorney General James emphasized that concertgoers and vendors should be protected, stating her office will not allow promoters to take advantage of consumers. Evolutions Festival has a history of annual events, but the 2025 iteration was canceled, a decision the organizers blamed on Sugar Mountain Performing Arts Center, which they claim lacked necessary permits.

However, Sugar Mountain disputes this, stating it had all required permits and that Evolutions failed to provide crucial paperwork. The lawsuit also alleges Evolutions organizers claimed they would only refund ticket holders if they won a pending lawsuit against Sugar Mountain, which is denied by the venue. If the case proceeds as outlined, Evolutions Festival LLC, 845 Vibrations LLC, and Michael and Justin Brown could face a $6 million fine, nearly $500,000 in fines, and a $500,000 bond to ensure compliance with New York's Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.