It has been confirmed that this year’s Bulgarian edition of the Sonisphere Festival has been canceled. Festival promoters Balkan Entertainment released the following statement:
“Due to logistical problems the local promoter, Marcel Avram and Balkan Entertainment have unfortunately decided to cancel this year’s Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria. Everyone at Sonisphere have worked diligently to try and get the problems rectified but unfortunately these problems cannot be resolved. Sonisphere apologises for the cancellation and any inconvenience this has caused. Unfortunately these circumstances were out of our control.
Tickets will be refunded in full starting June 15 and until July 15. Tickets bought online at www.eventim.bg can be refunded at Eventim’s head office in Sofia, at 43 Dospat Str. Inquiries about refunds can also be directed to info@eventim.bg”
This news comes a week after co-headliners Slipknot revealed that the festival had been canceled. While the band let the news leaked and went ahead and scheduled a headlining date at the Columbiahalle in Berlin on the same date (June 21), the festival organizers originally denied that the festival had been canceled until now. Also scheduled to play were Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Mastodon, and Apocalyptica.
Unless you were planning to travel down to Bulgaria to see the show, then this news probably won’t affect you. However, considering how The Big 4’s movie theater screenings and DVD release put the Sonisphere Festival’s Bulgarian edition on the map, it’s sad to see this happen. According to The Sofia Echo, though, Sonisphere Bulgaria 2011 had come under criticism for its new location (the racecourse on the outskirts of Sofia, whereas in 2010 it was held at the Vassil Levski national stadium in central Sofia) and the higher prices. Apparently both factors came into play with ticket sales, as tickets were still available a week prior to the show’s date.
[via Iron Maiden’s website and The Sofia Echo]
