[UPDATED] HARD Day of the Dead is not happening in 2016HARD DayOfTheDead 2014 Day2 26

[UPDATED] HARD Day of the Dead is not happening in 2016

HARD has grown to be an internationally successful phenomenon since Gary Richards established the event production company in 2007 with the first HARD Summer Music Festival. Even previously satellite events such as Holy Ship have become massively popular in the last several years, and the company’s global expansion shows no signs of slowing – especially given the recent announcement of HARD Australia,  which is to be held in December 2016.

However, as Richards’ brainchild continues to stretch further across the world, it has run into a series of devastating obstacles in its home-front of Los Angeles. Over the last several years, Richards has struggled to find a permanent venue for the LA-based HARD Summer and HARD Day of the Dead series. HARD’s nomadic situation was exacerbated in 2015, when the deaths of two young women at HARD Summer spurred LA County to propose a ban on raves, and was worsened still when the festival suffered further fatalities in 2016.

Though HARD’s Los Angeles events have managed to increase in popularity despite these setbacks, it seems that the odds stacked against them will preclude the company from holding Day of the Dead this fall. Yesterday, September 16, Instagram user Vidalia Urrea posted a screenshot of a Twitter conversation between herself and Richards. In the exchange, the HARD founder states, “Preparing for two festivals at two new locations (Summer and DOTD) so close together would have been too much of a stress on our resources.”

UPDATE: A representative from HARD has reached out and confirmed that HARD Day of the Dead was never cancelled as, technically, it was never announced. Regardless, it will not be happening in 2016. The rep reiterated Richards’ comments:

“HARD decided earlier in the year not to schedule it this year for production reasons. Preparing for two festivals at two new locations (HARD SUMMER and HARD Day of the Dead) so close together would have been too much of a strain on their resources.”

A photo posted by Vidalia Urrea (@vida_urrea) on

Richards purports that the decision to not move forward with DOTD this year was made in January, which indicates that its hiatus does not result from the deaths at 2016’s HARD Summer. At press time, neither HARD nor Richards have commented publicly on the reported cancellation.

H/T: Your EDM

Read More:

HARD announces debut Australia tour

San Bernardino County to consider moratorium on raves

What you need to know about HARD Summer 2016

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