According to Billy Soloe, local head of the Nevada chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), who sponsored the 420 Music Fest, the closure of the festival hinged on city officials targeting the festival for its pro-drug leanings. "They were definitely targeting us," Soloe said. "We went through every little thing and tried to make sure everything was done right."
The event, which was supposed to feature performances by over 50 bands, separated by two stages, behind the Ice House Lounge for two days, ended up being collapsed into the lounge early Friday morning after a permit for the fest was denied April 18 by city officials.
This left only a common area in the Downtown bar's parking lot for the festival's 20-plus vendors, some of whom had come from as far as Oregon to sell stuff.
Moreover, when city inspectors came to check on the event at around 11 a.m. Friday, Soloe was forced to shut down the vendors—or be fined thousands of dollars in non-compliance fees.
Inspectors threatened to pull the liquor license of the Ice House if Soloe did not stop the event completely.
"They showed up and said that if the owner didn't stop the show, they'd close the place down for 30 days. I didn't want to put the owner out of business, so we stopped the show," Soloe said. "They didn't really give me any options."
For the vendors and the bands, who had spent thousands to come to the fest, the losses were painful.
"It's horrible; I've spent at least $1,000 to come here," said Obie, a California clothing vendor. "Normally during a two-day festival we'd break $5,000. Now we'll probably go [back] home."
But with the abrupt cancellation of the event, Soloe, who had spent approximately $50,000 in personal expenses, promised that he would take the city government to court and sue for the expenses.
Jace Radke, city spokesperson, said the issue was NORML's failure to obtain a special events license, which can only be obtained through a hearing with the City Council.
Radke said the event was shut down because of NORML's failure to apply for the license by the April 5 deadline to get it onto the Council's April 18 agenda.
In the end, with thousands of dollars lost, Soloe's potential upcoming legal battle may not just define the status of NORML's local chapter. It may also define what is, and is not, allowed as a Downtown festival.