[UPDATE 4/16/24]: Skull & Roses Festival, which canceled its 2024 event last week and initially seemed to indicate that ticket-holders would not be refunded, has provided an official update on the refund process. The festival, geared toward fans of the Grateful Dead, was due to take place in Ventura, CA on April 19th, 20th, and 21st.
As organizers wrote in a post on the festival’s social media accounts,
We again wish to apologize for the necessity to cancel SKULL & ROSES 6. At this time, over 90% of refunds have been processed.
If you have not already submitted a refund request, please go to the link below to apply for a refund from Eventbrite…
NOTES:
~ Your refund request must be submitted within the next 30 days
~ You will need your Order Number
*Please email info@skullandroses.com if you need your Order Number
~If you have filed a dispute with your credit card company, Eventbrite will not issue a refund
~SKULL & ROSES will not contest a dispute filed with your credit card company
We sincerely regret any hardship this may have caused you, SKULL & ROSES
Festival founder Chris Mitrovich on April 9th wrote in a post announcing the cancellation that “the financial devastation of the 2023 show made it impossible to sustain the weight of the new production.”
Various acts originally scheduled to perform at Skull & Roses have pivoted to alternate plans in the area. Joe Marcinek will now host his Dead Funk Summit at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, CA on Sunday, April 21st alongside Nate LaPointe (Cubensis), Steve Molitz (Particle), Tony Hall (Dumpstaphunk), Stanton Moore (Galactic), and Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident). Moonalice, though not billed on the 2024 Skull & Roses lineup, is offering displaced ticket-holders free admission to the band’s shows that weekend.
On Sunday, April 21st, Golden Road Festival will now host an all-day show dubbed Maybe It Was The Roses at The Majestic Ventura Theater featuring various artists from the original Skull & Roses bill. The event will be headlined by Saviors, Spirits, and Wingmen, an offshoot of the all-star Grateful Dead tribute Sages and Spirits featuring several of the same members. The supergroup will feature guitarists John Kadlecik (Melvin Seals & JGB) and Rob Eaton (Dark Star Orchestra), drummers Jay Lane (Dead & Company) and Jake Wolf (Rocky Mountain Grateful Dead Revue), keyboardist Rob Barraco (Dark Star Orchestra), and bassist Reed Mathis (Billy & The Kids).
Also scheduled for Maybe It Was The Roses is Garcia Grisman Revisited with Stu Allen (Phil Lesh & Friends), Ronnie McCoury (The Travelin’ McCourys), Joe Craven (David Grisman Quintet), and Jim Kerwin (David Grisman Quintet). Other scheduled sets include a Reed Mathis solo set, The Alligators, and No Simple Highway, Jill Simmons (Brown Eyed Women), and additional special guests to be announced.
Tickets for Golden Road Festival’s Maybe It Was The Roses are on sale here.
[4/9/24] Skull & Roses Festival, the annual Grateful Dead-centric event at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, CA, has canceled its sixth annual edition, originally set to take place on April 19th, 20th, and 21st. In a post announcing the cancellation, the festival’s founder explained that “the financial devastation of the 2023 show made it impossible to sustain the weight of the new production.”
The festival announced its cancellation on Tuesday afternoon via a post on its social media accounts. In a screenshot of an email dated April 9th, 2024 with the subject line “Re: …Feelin’ Bad,” festival founder Chris Mitrovich wrote,
With deep sorrow I must inform you that SKULL & ROSES 6 has been canceled. In all transparency, the financial devastation of the 2023 show made it impossible to sustain the weight of the new production.
We have maintained hope and exhausted every imaginable possibility, right up to this very moment. It has now become clear, however, that we have reached the end of the line. All the cards are down and there’s nothing left to see.
This is not a choice, the decision has been made for us. Had we known (or stopped fighting) sooner, we would have let you know then. Please know that is the truth. We feel exactly the same way that you do, in every regard.
Words cannot tell how much we appreciate your undying dedication and extreme connection with this show. We don’t know what the future holds. Please accept my most sincere apologies for the troubles this message will cause.
Regarding refunds, the post from Skull & Roses is somewhat unclear. As the message notes, “REFUNDS: While tickets and hotels were sold on a non-refundable basis, we sincerely wish that funds were available to refund all purchases. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case at this time. Additional information will be provided just as soon as it becomes available and will be posted through our socials and at [the festival’s website].”
The 2024 edition of Skull & Roses Festival was due to feature performances by Dark Star Orchestra, Sage & Spirits, Melvin Seals & JGB, Stu Allen & Mars Hotel, Jerry’s Middle Finger, Garcia Grisman Revisited, Cubensis, guitarist Joe Marcinek‘s Dead Funk Summit, former Melvin Seals & JGB guitarist Zach Nugent‘s Dead Set, Electric Waste Band, Hyryder, Marcus Rezak Band, all-female Dead tribute Brown Eyed Women, Grateful Dead Hour host David Gans playing a set of originals and covers, and more.
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