The man behind the viral “Storm Area 51” Facebook event is pulling the plug on an upcoming alien-themed festival in Nevada due to safety concerns and fear of the celebration turning into a “FYREFEST 2.0.”
Matty Roberts, creator of “Storm Area 51,” was initially excited to plan the Alienstock festival, which was set to take place on the same weekend as the September 20 mock Facebook event, in Rachel, Nevada, KVVU-TV reported. However, Roberts quickly changed his mind and said he’s leaving the festival in a statement shared by his representative on Monday.
In the statement, Roberts claims that the permit holder, Connie West, didn’t provide him with proof that things were set in place for the event. Roberts and his team reportedly didn’t want to be responsible for the safety of thousands of people who were going to attend the festival on September 20.
“Due to the lack of infrastructure, poor planning, risk management and blatant disregard for the safety of the expected 10,000+ Alienstock attendees, we decided to pull the plug on the festival. The permit holder (Connie West) was given multiple opportunities to provide us with the proof that things expected at this festival were in place,” Roberts said in the statement. “In fact, she refused to provide to us, as agreed upon, contracts, proof of deposits, or any paper proof of anything.”
Roberts said he’s “officially disconnecting” from Connie West and that Alienstock will be held in downtown Las Vegas on the same weekend.
“In short, the relationship has ended permanently, and Alienstock will be moving to a safe, clean secure area in downtown Las Vegas as an alternative,” Roberts explained. “We are not interested in, nor will we tolerate any involvement in a FYREFEST 2.0. We foresee a possible humanitarian disaster in the works, and we can’t participate in any capacity at this point.”
West, who operates a quirky Little Al’e’inn Hotel in Rachel, Nevada, said her alien-themed festival is still on, even though Roberts is not working with her anymore.
“I’m going to do it the way I know how and what I’ve been planning for because I know no other way to do it. But it’s still happening,” West told KVVU-TV. “If he chooses to go somewhere else, that’s his choice. I’m still having a party because people are still coming to Rachel, [Nevada].”
In July, Roberts’ “Storm Area 51: They Can’t Stop All of Us” joke Facebook event went viral on the social media platform. To date, more than two million people have replied that they were “interested” or “going” to the mock event, which was scheduled for September 20.
More on Geek.com:
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