Lollapalooza director says there is no cancellation clause in festival contracts

Fans of the Lollapalooza festival, which takes place annually in São Paulo, have questioned the festival team about the history of cancellations that the festival has suffered. Last Tuesday (27), the artists Jaden, Rina Sawayama and Dove Cameron canceled their performances on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th respectively. However, the global director of the festival, which began in Chicago in 2005, revealed that the contracts made with the artists do not have cancellation clauses.

The lack of “cancellation clauses”

Leca Guimarães is the global director of Lollpalooza, and she gave an interview to the website Splash Uol, where she said that there is no “cancellation clause” in the contracts made with the artists who perform at the event. “Having to rush out to find an available attraction in such a short period of time is complicated. You have to use your contacts, almost asking for a favor. And it's usually expensive”, she explained.

Marcelo Beraldo, who is the event's artistic curator, stated that the cancellation of shows is a common phenomenon at festivals around the world. “The reasons include illness, travel costs and the mental health factor, which is not talked about as much”, explained.

The fact is that clauses that help prevent artists from canceling their shows have become effective at some festivals around the world. Some rumors suggest that supposed clauses of Rock in Rio, an event that takes place every two years in Rio de Janeiro, impose a fine on artists who cancel their shows, and that the performances of Drake, in 2019, and Justin Bieber, in 2022 , were not canceled due to such clauses, as the rest of the two artists' tour dates had been cancelled.

_{Official statement from the festival about the new cancellations (Photo: reproduction/Instagram/@lollapaloozabrasil)}

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Frequent cancellations of Lollapalooza Brasil

One of the biggest festivals in the country has been suffering from a series of cancellations after the official line-up was released. In January, the band Paramore canceled its participation in the event, which soon included the band Kings of Leon in its place. Last Tuesday (27), the presentations of Jaden, Rina Sawayama and Dove Cameron were replaced by the band's Greta Van Fleet and singer Jessie Reyez.

But it wasn't just this year that there were these withdrawals. In the last edition, in 2023, the band Blink 182, which is confirmed this year, canceled the show and was replaced by the duo Twenty One Pilots. Rapper Drake announced that he would not come on the same day as his show, and was promptly replaced by DJ Skrillex. In 2022, the band Jane's Addiction, whose lead singer is the creator of the festival, also canceled their participation in the event.

Lollapalooza 2024 takes place on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of March at the Autódromo de Interlagos, in São Paulo. Blink-182, Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, Limp Bizkit, Titãs Encontro, Sam Smith and SZA are the main attractions of the festival, which expects around 100,000 people over the three days.

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Featured Photo: official logo of Lollapalooza Brasil (Reproduction/facebook/lollapaloozabrasil)