NEWS: Southwest Terror Fest 2017 canceled

The following is the announcement from Southwest Terror Fest regarding this year's event in Arizona, U.S.

OFFICIAL: It is with deep regret and untold sadness that we must inform everyone that Southwest Terror Fest is now canceled for 2017, and most likely forever. One of our partners is leaving for the Philippines and we have been unable to secure adequate funding and sponsorship for this year. We have delayed this announcement as long as possibly in hopes that events would turn in our favor, but now we feel that if we delay this any further, we are hurting the bands abilities to re-book their shows they had planned.

We have always struggled to make ends meet with this festival. It's not the easiest thing to throw a festival in a small city like Tucson. We've done our best over the years to keep prices as low as possible, while still bringing in high quality bands. Unfortunately, that business method doesn't pay the bills, and we've fallen farther and farther behind the last few years, with the 2016 version being the most damaging to our wallets yet. Attendance has fallen dramatically the last couple years as well, compounding our difficulties.

To add to that, we've found it increasingly difficult to secure sponsorships from downtown Tucson business. As many of you are probably already aware, the punk and metal crowd has never been looked upon favorably, no matter how polite we are to business and how well we tip. To that point, a few of our sponsors backed out on us at the last minute in 2016, leaving us with thousands to cover on our own. One sponsors was even "kind" enough to send a bad check, so not only didn't we get their sponsor money, but we also were saddled with bad check fees. I hope you can understand that a situation like this can not continue.

Please believe us when we say this decision is not something that comes easy to us. We've put many years of our life into building and growing this festival, with hopes that it would flourish for years to come. Today feels like the loss of a family member to us, and our hearts are heavy with sadness as our eyes are filled with tears.

Thank you all for five wonderful years. The personal relationships and friends we've made over the years mean the world to us. In the end, the best thing we can all take away from this are the wonderful times we have all shared in downtown Tucson over the last half decade. We wish all of you the best, and hopefully we'll see you around at some shows this year. Thank you so much for understanding.