Shock and confusion over forced cancellation of Moscow’s Outline Festival

Outline, Moscow’s festival of electronic music and art, was cancelled by Russian authorities just a few hours before it was due to open this weekend.

Shortly before the scheduled opening on Saturday night, Outline’s organisers announced the cancellation of the festival on their Facebook page.

“The festival will not take place, for reasons beyond the control of the organisers. The money for the tickets will be returned,” read the post.

“This afternoon government officials entered the Outline grounds unannounced and prevented the organisers and works from setting up the festival’s stages, installations and infrastructure — despite the fact that Outline applied for and received all permits and licences necessary to throw the event in a legally appropriate amount of time,” wrote DJ and producer Magda, in response to reports in the Russian media that the festival was cancelled due to the failure of the organisers to meet safety requirements.

A petition later appeared online, demanding an explanation by fans of the festival. This petition, however, was later banned by the regional prefecture.

Source: Afisha (in Russian)