The inevitable cancellation has finally occurred. The LA punk/metal/hardcore festival CY Fest is officially not happening after at least 20 bands dropped off the lineup due to sexual misconduct allegations against the promoter.
CY Fest 2026 was to take place March 28 at the Belasco with dozens of bands including the reunited Subhumans, Eyehategod, Pig Destroyer, Dropdead, Big Boy, Rotting Out, and Mess. Last week, a mass exodus from the festival lineup began after an online feminist group working through the Instagram account @Feral_bonobos circulated dozens of sexual misconduct allegations against promoter Ignacio Rodriguera, aka Nacho Corrupted, and urged a boycott of CY Fest.
Rodriguera announced Monday that he was stepping back from the fest to focus on legally challenging the allegations against him, which he says are false. Tuesday, Tankcrimes Records owner Scotty Heath announced he was taking over promotions for the event in an attempt to salvage it, then backed out a day later after realizing he was in over his head. All the while, bands kept dropping off the lineup, including headliners the Subhumans. Other bands who dropped out include Iron Lung, Tørsö, Apartment 213, Tripas Sangrientas, Resistant Culture, Triste, Dropdead, Antichrist Demoncore, Hell Fire, Weekend Nachos, Ghoul, Haggus, Hong Kong Fuck You, Bomber, Dr. Know, and Mess.
Now, CY Fest 2026 has officially been canceled. In an Instagram story Thursday night, the fest's account announced, "C.Y. FEST 2026 IS CANCEL [sic]. ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN REFUNDED AUTOMATICALLY TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. IT WILL TAKE 24/48 HOURS TO HIT YOUR ACCOUNT." The message called on vendors to send DMs about reimbursement and promised an update on the festival's preshows is coming soon.
About those preshows: They were scheduled to take place at the Regent Theater in the days before and after the main event, with the Partisans headlining March 25, Pig Destroyer on March 26, the Partisans again on March 27, and Dropdead on March 29. All of these shows were also promoted by Rodriguera. As of this week, the Regent was planning to carry on with the preshows as scheduled, "in order to accommodate bands traveling from out of town and the fans excited to see them," and to donate 100% of the proceeds to the Downtown Women’s Center and Downtown Women’s Action Coalition.
If you or someone you know has undergone sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.
