Less than two weeks after its sale to Evenko, urban music festival Metro Metro announced that it would take a break this year under the pretext of reviewing its organization and security.
• Also read: Olivier Primeau sells his two music festivals to Groupe CH
• Also read: Metro Metro Festival: Lil Wayne starts 3 hours late and sings for 15 minutes
• Also read: Targeted by attacks: Who is mad at Olivier Primeau?
“There have been safety issues at the festival, particularly during the 2023 edition, and we would like to take the time to review all aspects of the festival to ensure safety and improve the experience of our festival goers,” the festival said on its Facebook website. Page Friday evening.
Created by businessman Olivier Primeau, the festival, which took place for the first time on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park in May 2019, managed to attract major international stars to the metropolis, including Cardi B., Snoop Dog and Drake.
The 2022 edition attracted particular attention through videos published online, in which people were seen climbing the Olympic Stadium without paying or tearing down barriers to enter the site. These gestures caught the attention of elected officials, with Montreal's mayor even going so far as to call on organizers to “assume their responsibility” to improve security.
Then, last year, a few weeks before the festival, Olivier Primeau's apartment was attacked by gunfire, while the Slice Gang pizzeria he co-founded in Sainte-Thérèse was set on fire with the help of a Molotov cocktail. The media inauguration of the festival site was also canceled.
Despite the cancellation, the festival remains present in the city with shows performed indoors throughout the year.
The Metro Metro Festival, together with the Fuego Fuego Festival, was sold to evenko two weeks ago. The company now hosts seven major music events in Montreal.
Fuego Fuego will also take place on May 25th and 26th.