New Zealand Commerce Commission investigates wait for Juicy Fest NZ ticket refunds

New Zealand's Commerce Commission is following up on hundreds of complaints following the cancellation of this past summer’s Juicy Fest NZ music festival.

Frustrated concertgoers have been demanding refunds, and answers, following the cancellation of the RnB music festival - a four-date, single day event featuring acts such as Ludacris, Akon and Jay Sean, that was scheduled for Tauranga, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in January.

The event was cancelled in December over what organisers, according to the New Zealand Herald, claimed was "an intentional" effort to stop the shows from going ahead and licensing issues.

As reported by 1News, the Timeless Summer Tour, due to take place in Christchurch, Napier, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Auckland, and featuring 1980s stars such as Boy George, Bonnie Tyler and Starship was also postponed in December.

At the time of the latter event’s cancellation, promoter Timeless Live advised “to all of our valued Timeless Summer Tour customers, we are saddened to announce that, after careful consideration, we must postpone the inaugural Timeless Summer Tour, which was scheduled to take place in New Zealand and Australia in January 2025.”

1News has reported that the Commerce Commission has had 258 complaints about Juicy Fest since December, and 26 about Timeless Summer Tours.

It said in a statement it was investigating Juicy Fest and may widen the inquiry to include the running of the Timeless Summer Festival if required.

The delays have raised questions about the effectiveness of the Ticketing Code of Practice introduced last year by the Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand (EVANZ).

1News quoted New Zealand music promoter Brent Eccles as saying that the number one person to protect was the consumer.

Eccles explained “when someone buys a ticket for a concert, you expect that money will be held in trust until the concert happens and the money is released to the promoter. If the show was cancelled, the first thing should happen is the money should go straight back to the person who bought the ticket."