By Matt Wake
The second day of the inaugural South Star Music Festival in Huntsville has been canceled.
Today’s lineup was to have featured blink-182, Beck, Sublime and other acts.
Opening day performers Saturday at South Star included Gwen Stefani, Shinedown, TLC, Tom Morello, Ludacris and more.
Sunday’s cancelation was announced on the festival’s website at around 9 a.m.
Complete statement from the website below:
“For South Star fans who joined us yesterday, we thank you for welcoming us and enjoying some amazing music. Unfortunately, as you know, Hurricane Helene saturated John Hunt Park before you arrived, and Saturday’s foot traffic has led to severe deterioration of the grounds. Following an inspection by festival organizers along with city officials, it has been determined that the grounds are no longer safe to welcome you back today.
“In coordination with the City of Huntsville, we have made the difficult decision to cancel today’s festival. Safety is paramount, and we do not take this decision lightly. We have been looking forward to a full-weekend celebration in John Hunt Park as much as you have. We appreciate your understanding and patience. We are incredibly grateful to the City of Huntsville for their partnership and the music fans who planned to join us. We will be back soon! Sunday 1-Day Tickets and one half of 2-Day Tickets purchased directly through Front Gate Tickets will automatically be refunded in as little as 30 days to your original form of payment.”
It’s worth noting Louder Than Life, a four-day rock festival in Louisville featuring the likes of Slipknot, Slayer, Korn and Mötley Crüe, canceled its Friday shows due to weather.
Huntsville’s prior multi-day music festival, Big Spring Jam, which ran from 1993 to 2011, also faced challenges from weather. A major rain event in 2005 that resulted in a complete wash-out Big Spring Jam’s Sunday performance that year, by classic-rockers Journey and other key acts.
South Star is being produced by C3 Presents of Austin, Texas. C3′s other festival productions have included Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees and New Orleans’ Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
The city’s contract with C3 is for three years. C3 is responsible for funding all expenses related to South Star. The City of Huntsville is required to provide matching funds for marketing the festival at up to $200,000 for the first year and $100,000 for years two and three. The city’s also responsible for providing the festival’s site, emergency services (police, fire, medical) and “adequate utilities,” including internet and cell services.
In addition to booking the festival, C3 pays the artists’ guarantees, the fees artists are paid to perform at South Star. Per the agreement with the city, $3 of each ticket sold will go toward Friends of Huntsville Parks and Recreation, a nonprofit “for the continued advancement of park and recreation facilities in Huntsville.”
Sunday, AL.com reached out to C3 for information on South Star’s confirmed Saturday attendance, Sunday’s ticket sales and whether or not Sunday’s cancelation would impact South Star’s 2025 edition. If and when we receive answers, we will report them. Reached for comment, Huntsville’s first-ever music officer Matt Mandrella told AL.com all South Star public communication for now is going through C3.
