Treasure Island Music Festival officials respond to backlash, say ‘no refunds’

Megan James, vocalist of Purity Ring performs during the second day of the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Megan James, vocalist of Purity Ring performs during the second day of the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, California, on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 87 Caption Close Treasure Island Music Festival officials respond to backlash, say ‘no refunds’ 1 / 87 Back to Gallery

Rain wreaked havoc on Treasure Island Music Festival as it kicked off its 10th and final year on its namesake island on Saturday, Oct. 15. The storm caused major delays, shut down the pier where the Ferris wheel and silent disco were located, and prompted two artists — Duke Dumont and Flight Facilities — to cancel performances, while other artists like How to Dress Well had abbreviated sets.

As a result, many fans took to social media to demand refunds for their tickets, which ranged from $105 to $335. But with 11 out of 13 acts, including headliner Ice Cube, performing Saturday and no signs of canceled sets for Sunday, Allen Scott, executive vice president of Another Planet Entertainment that co-produces Treasure Island Music Festival with Noise Pop, said no refunds will be made to ticketholders.

“Yesterday we experienced several schedule delays and changes due to weather-related travel and tech issues. When these issues arose, we immediately began working behind the scenes to adjust and find solutions as quickly as possible. During this downtime, many of you grew understandably frustrated at the lack of information, and we want to apologize,” read a statement released by festival organizers just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

“Several factors were outside of our control, including the weather and the resulting delays in performances and artist transportation,” the statement continued. “We plan to push through any weather-related issues today, and our team will make every effort possible to elevate the festival-going experience for all attendees.”

But by then, the promise of a better day two couldn’t erase the angry comments that flooded social media feeds Saturday night. Even artists chimed in, revealing their frustrations with the festival.

“… the fest did a sh—t job accommodating everyone, especially htdw,” wrote How to Dress Well on Instagram. The act's set was cut to just 30 minutes after a heavy downpour caused “weather-related travel issues” that caught festival organizers off guard during the first day of the event.

Dumont, the London DJ who was one of the biggest names on the festival’s bill, tweeted: “Tonight several artists were unable to play, including myself, due to unsafe conditions on stage.” Later, a screenshot of a direct message conversation between Dumont and a fan began circulating on social media revealed more:

“There was no safety measures in place as they weren’t prepared. They threatened the acts with not being paid if they didn’t play, and threatened me with not being booked again. To cover their backs they got on the microphone and lied to the crowd and said I didn’t want to get wet. Disgusting festival.”

Festival officials contend that fire and safety officials onsite cleared acts to perform after the brunt of the storm passed. “We had fire inspectors onsite we were working with throughout the day. They were not involved with (Dumont’s) decision, it was solely the artist’s (choice),” said Scott.

Flight Facilities, another act whose set was canceled, was in an entirely different situation; when the group arrived and were preparing to play, Treasure Island’s producers felt that the conditions were too dangerous at the time. “Any artist that was scheduled to perform yesterday and was not able to play due to weather — Flight Facilities — was paid. We understand that. All artists were paid that could play,” Scott emphasized.

“Duke Dumont didn’t feel that the stage was safe for him even though it stopped raining and we made what we felt was a very safe environment,” Scott continued. “He felt otherwise and refused to perform. It was very frustrating to us, but that was ultimately his choice.”

Scott said Another Planet is working with singer-songwriter Tom Krell behind How To Dress Well “to see if there’s something we can do in the future.”

By early afternoon Sunday, the festival seemed to be faring better. While it seemed there were fewer people in attendance, those who did show up looked more prepared for the inclement weather. The pier, which had been closed Saturday, was open to the public with festivalgoers shopping at vendor booths, riding the Ferris wheel, dancing at the silent disco area and creating flower crowns at the crafting tent.

By the time Christine and the Queens hit the Bridge stage just before 3 p.m., the sun peeked through the clouds, with a few breaks from the drizzle.

“Look at that! The sun’s come out,” proclaimed the band’s singer Héloïse Letissier, later adding: “We’ll stay on this stage whether it rains or something else happens.”

Mariecar Mendoza is The San Francisco Chronicle arts content editor. Email: mmendoza@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SFMarMendoza

Alyssa Pereira is the pop culture producer for SFGATE.

Chronicle reporter Ryan Kost contributed to this report.