The Kentucky Irate Fest at MG’s Prime Time Cafe in Louisville, KY has officially been cancelled. This news comes after numerous artists previously pulled out of the event due to buy-on practices, ticket selling quotas, a rape allegation, and more.

The venue said the following:

“We would like to announce that the KYIRATE Festival scheduled for August 26th-August 28th at MG’s, has been cancelled. Please see The IRATE Festival Page for Details.”

Festival founder Joseph Borland has since issued three statements as well:

Statement One:

“So, here I go…

There are a lot of things being said on the internet right now. It seems like everyone has something to say, and I don’t blame you. Everyone loves a good show.

The problem is, when people start digging up dirt just to hurt people, it really ruins a good thing. Irate Fest was supposed to be a good thing, and now it’s turned into a battle of who can hit the hardest. Something we could have saved for the pit, but decided to bring to social media instead.

The most important thing we are dealing with right now is the allegations against one of the band members who was set to play at irate fest, and who also happened to invest in our festival. He has immediately been removed from our tours and Fest and we no longer have business ties with him.

The only people who were aware of these awful events before this festival was created are those who have been living with these horrible secrets, and we thank you for coming forward and speaking out. I have been made aware that the words I’ve said in response to a message that was sent to me are being shared across these platforms. I am genuinely sorry if my feelings came across as anything but sympathetic and heartfelt. My point was to say that I don’t want the attention you deserve for being brave and speaking out to be watered down by the events of irate fest. My intention was to apologize for your experience and to say that I side with you and you deserve better than this drama being attached to a situation so awful and violating. I would have never done business with him if I had known.

In regards to the locals issue, I am heartbroken by the response of the local community. My former partner, who is apart of the local Louisville scene, was given the task of getting the locals for this event. He told me on May 9, 2022 that all local bands performing on the bill would be required to sell tickets and that they were notified. When I sent the message to the bands about the selling of tickets, I was rude and wrong for my approach. I do understand the importance of local bands in every community, and I regret the way I went about the messaging. I know it is likely too late for sorry but I am, truthfully.

This festival is so important to me. I am a first time creator in the scene and am learning along the way, with my incredible team, how this business works and how to go about different situations with all the people involved. I have amazing people in my corner who are feeling the effects of this backlash from my words, and I regret that they are dealing with this just as much as I am.

Again, I am so sorry for the confusion, the drama, the strained relationships, and the stress this has caused. Please take this as my heart felt apology. Comments have been turned off because it has become an unsafe situation for my children and my family. Thank you for reading and for understanding.”

Statement Two:

“What you are failing to realize is that, by trying to sabotage us, you are really just hurting your local business owners. We, as an LLC, make the decisions on this festival, nobody else.

The venue that you have decided to threaten with life threatening violence is a locally owned business in your town who had nothing to do with us, they simply rented us the venue. The people you have threatened with physical violence for simply working on an opportunity for their businesses, are local small business owners in your town and fans of the music. Our security team considers this a ‘high risk’ event now because our team has gotten NUMEROUS death threats, have gotten racial slurs, and have been made to feel unsafe.

You are destroying financial opportunities for your town and making those in your town afraid for their safety. All these conversations you all have seen are only a small portion of the truth. People want to make it about their opinions, rather than accepting a brand new festival trying to create something special.

Yes, they have made a statement that they will not be hosting the show anymore. This is truly so sad, you guys don’t see what you’re doing to your own town. We get it, it’s cool to jump on the hate bandwagon but enough is enough. If you want a refund, great, we’ll get you one, the moment we cancel this event officially and get the approval from our ticketing provider. Being a jerk in our inbox about refunds isn’t going to get you paid faster. We will keep you all updated as much as we can.”

Statement Three:

“Yesterday we had fully intended to keep this festival going, tickets are still selling quickly despite the circumstances, and we have many bands still ready and excited to play.

As of this morning, Friday August 19, 2022, KENTUCKY Irate Festival is officially cancelled.

❕Your full refunds will be given and processed back to your point of purchase within 30 business day. You don’t need to message us or inbox us, this will happen automatically❕

We tried our hardest to get the most talented and influential bands in metal to come together and create an event that the locals and nationals could be united and play together for the fans. Thank you to the bands who stuck it out with us, seeing the bigger picture and wanting to be there.

We have made our apologies and stand by them. Thank you to everyone who has put time, effort, and funding into this. We wish you all the best moving forward.”