Rain Steals the Show at Treasure Island Music Festival's 10-Year Anniversary

Article by: Laura Mason|@masonlazarus

Mon October 17, 2016 | 00:00 AM

Large-scale music festivals in San Francisco have never been known for their sunshine and warmth, but what plagued the 10th anniversary of Treasure Island Music Festival this past weekend – a bona fide rain storm complete with high winds – was on a whole 'nother level.

Anything that could have gone wrong with a festival, went wrong with a festival this weekend at what was planned to be a joyous celebration of Treasure Island Music Festival 's solid decade of good times and even better music. Torrential rains and high winds (forecast in advance to be equivalent to a month's worth of rain for the drought-stricken Bay Area) clashed with inadequate prep from organizers, resulting in a mess for almost everyone involved. Stages flooded, many acts were delayed well past their schedule set times, some artists were forced to perform abbreviated sets, and Flight Facilities, Duke Dumont, and James Blake were canceled altogether. 

The problems, which seemed to continuously mount throughout the weekend, left a bad taste in patrons' mouths. Frustrated attendees took to social media all weekend to complain about their experiences, filling the event's Facebook page and Instagram page with plenty of vitriol and circulating a "#refundTIMF10" hashtag on Instagram and Twitter. Festival-goers, many of whom traveled from out of town, felt they had come prepared for the rain, but the festival had not. Performers also contributed to the pile-on, with Duke Dumont putting the fest on blast for unsafe conditions, and How To Dress Well encouraging fans to ask for refunds. Festival tickets ranged from $105 to $335.

Flight Facilities apologized for their absence as well.

Saturday's storm conditions halted all activity at The Bridge Stage and The Tunnel Stage for an hour and closed The Pier, shuttering the silent disco, vendors and the Ferris Wheel for the entire day. Many artists played truncated sets, but The Polish Ambassador and hometown hero Kamaiyah both played extended sets to fill the gap from Young Thug's extremely late start. On Sunday, Tycho stepped in with a DJ set after James Blake's set cancellation was announced due to high winds. The bad weather held off long enough for Purity Ring and headliners Sigur Rós to take the stage and dazzle the brave souls who stuck around to catch the delayed sets. The pier, Ferris Wheel, and vendor area were all re-opened on Sunday, as well.

Much of the resentment on the attendees' part arose from the aforementioned lack of organization and prep. There was no place to take cover from the elements. No umbrellas were allowed and ponchos sold out early, and, most importantly, communication from organizers was lacking. Updates, whether at the festival or on social media, were few and far between and lacking in detail and depth. The festival relented and decided to allow re-entry late on Saturday night, but most people didn't get the message and had already gone home for the night. Artist cancellations happened well after they should've gone on. People huddled under folding tables, and a curious lack of available porta-potties during the weekend's strongest downpour led us to believe many sought refuge in porta-potties.

Despite the conditions, the crowd's vibe was generally excellent. The art and interactive installations were fantastic, with "The Human Pinball Machine," "The Jack" and a piece from Hybycozo peppering the grounds. Tycho's Sunday evening set was gorgeous, Mac DeMarco was breezy and fun, and Sunday's metal group Deafheaven drew a sizable crowd.  Glass Animals brought the heat back up after Saturday's rain, and Mura Masa was an outrageously fun dance party.

Festival organizers responded to the outrage over Saturday seemingly too late, with a note on Sunday morning, promising to "push through any weather-related issues" and keep guests informed. It wasn't long for the backlash to unfold on Instagram and Facebook.

Timf 2016 Facebook Post

Photo by: Treasure Island Music Festival

Despite the backlash, SFGate is reporting that festival organizers, Noise Pop Industries and Another Planet Entertainment, will not issue any refunds. However, Treasure Island ticket holders will have free entry into a James Blake show at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Monday night.

Yes, rain happens, but this level of misery could've been prevented with better communication and better infrastructure. With details for the fest's future already hanging in the balance, we'll be watching to see what happens next.