It is always a bit awkward reporting on MFNW, for obvious reasons, but here's what we can tell you: The festival—which started in 2000 with a multi-venue format in the mold of South By Southwest before moving exclusively to Waterfront Park in 2014—had been aligned with Pabst Brewing's Project Pabst event the past two years. At the end of 2017, Pabst decided to go in a different direction, and the two festivals ended their partnership.