Organizers of the upcoming edition of the ‘Maryland Deathfest’ – which was officially postponed until 2021 – have released an update regarding the possible fate of the gathering.
Read the full message below.
STATEMENT FROM THE ORGANIZERS OF MDF:
Now that we’re approximately 7 months into the seemingly never-ending Covid-19 situation, we wanted to share our current thought process with you and what we’re doing to be prepared for a variety of scenarios.
As the event is still 8 months away, it is still too early to make a definitive decision about which path to take, but we aren’t heading into the coming months with heads full of delusion and cannot wait until only a few months before the fest to make such decisions. The logistical undertaking and international nature of the event does not allow for us to wait around until just before the fest and hope for the best. We need to make some very important decisions no later than sometime between late November-late December.
Needless to say, it has been pretty exhausting to wake up every day and not know how to plan anything or what to expect, so this has forced us into planning multiple scenarios that we’ll explain below.
1) The situation in the world settles down significantly, “guidelines” and government restrictions ease up completely, and the fest happens exactly as currently planned at both Rams Head and Soundstage. Let’s face it, right now this scenario looks to be a pipe dream, but again, still too early to rule out completely.
2) The situation in the world settles down enough to reduce certain restrictions, but possibly not allowing indoor events at normal capacity. In this scenario, we have an option at our disposal for at least 1 outdoor stage in the same vicinity as Rams Head and Soundstage. We don’t plan on going into great detail about this unless it becomes the route we take.
3) The situation worsens and live events continue to be negatively impacted well into 2021. While it would be completely ridiculous to have to reschedule the event again, it does need to be taken into consideration already. If it has to be moved again as far as May 2022, the plan is to bring back Edison Lot and utilize any of the indoor venues that are still open by then.
Do note that Edison Lot would only be an option for 2022, not 2021. There is simply no way we can afford all of the production costs associated with using the space in 2021, largely due to Covid-19 contributing to a lack of ticket sales because of uncertainty and inability for people to plan travel.
In all scenarios, keep in mind that we, along with all of the bands, are committed to getting this collection of bands on a stage. It took us 1 week in March to reconfirm all but 3 bands that were originally scheduled to perform, and if we had to go through it all again, you can expect 90%+ of the same lineup. So, while we can control keeping the lineup in tact without much trouble, what we can’t control is when exactly we can gather again.
It would feel somewhat irresponsible to just post a flyer with a “tickets on sale” message right now, so we’d like to touch on this subject as well.
Yes, tickets are on sale, and we need sales more than ever to continue to weather this storm and recover losses. No matter if you’re a current ticket holder or still need to buy a ticket, keep in mind that it will be valid until this edition finally takes place. We just hope that’s as soon as May 2021.
In the event that you cannot go for any reason, we are well past the point of being able to issue refunds, but tickets would be transferable to others (we can assist with that), or we can provide a credit to any future event of ours with no expiration date.
Tickets for MDF XVIII are on sale here: [LINK]
As a reminder, we have a variety of merch available at the link below. The MDF XVIII items are to be picked up at the event, but there are a few items available for mail order as well. Every order received is incredibly helpful and much appreciated!
Buy merch here: [LINK]
Over the last 18 years, we have seen our fair share of challenges and this one takes the cake as most challenging by far, but if we continue to have you stick by our side and ride this out, we will get through it.
We will update you in several months when more is known. In the meantime, we appreciate your support, understanding and patience while we, along with the entire live music sector, continue to deal with the messy situation that we’ve been thrown into.
The TL;DR version: MDF might not happen next year, but if it does, it might have at least 1 outdoor stage.
Check out the confirmed lineup via the flyer below.
