Before it even started, Above & Beyond has officially pulled the plug on their Anjunabeach event in Riviera Maya.
Upon announcement of the event, fans reacted worldwide, (including locals in Mexico) with a lukewarm response to the show. Many factors, including mandatory expensive travel packages left fans with completely disinterested in the event.
The resounding negativity around the price of the event caused many fans to look for other getaway-style events at lower price points. Attendees were forced to book “all inclusive” packages for the ill-fated Anjunabeach Mexico event.
Above & Beyond addressed these issues and the cancelation with an official statement released below.
Check out the full note below:
It’s with much regret that we have to announce that Anjunabeach Riviera Maya has been cancelled. We’ll explain why shortly but first, we want to apologise to all of you who bought tickets and were excited for the show, and reassure you that full refunds will be issued, including any air travel booked. Fans who purchased all-inclusive packages will receive direct communication with from CID Presents in the coming days with full refund directions.
When this idea was initially mooted by the boffins at Anjuna Institute Of Definitive Human Experiences, we knew it was an ambitious aim to take several thousand of you away to a beach paradise for a long weekend, completely immersed in music and surrounded by your fellow Anjunafamily. When you add up the 30-odd artists we had planned, the 200 on-site staff, the bespoke production and light installations and pop-up surprise parties, it was always going to be a huge undertaking.
Our partners set a package price significantly higher than the average A&B show but ultimately necessary to help us achieve our full ambition and, with initial feedback positive and pre-sale signups numbering over 10,000, at first we felt good about how the event was being received.
But, having listened carefully to all of your feedback – and after doing a lot of soul searching – it’s apparent this foray into a new event format isn’t coming together the way we intended, and so we’ve taken the difficult decision not to proceed with it.
We heard from some that the price point felt too much of a stretch, or that this event felt too exclusive, and were disappointed that this amazing experience wasn’t accessible for more people. All this feedback we have taken to heart. We can only do what we do when we have your support, and you’ve told us loud and clear that we got this one wrong.
The dream of Anjunabeach is still alive. We will make it happen somehow, somewhere, but in the meantime, we’re still focused on bringing you events like ABGT250 – affordable weekends away in nature, united by music, together as a family. For some time now we’ve been scouting locations on both sides of the atlantic and further afield, and will obviously bring you news on those ideas as soon as we can.
In the meantime, thank you for your honesty and feedback – it has given us pause to reflect on what sort of live experience you want.
– A&B and AnjunaHQ
