A year after Evolutions Festival blamed permitting issues for indefinitely postponing its 2025 event, New York is accusing its organizers of unlawfully withholding refunds.New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against Evolutions Festival and organizers Michael and Justin Brown, alleging they failed to refund hundreds of ticket buyers and dozens of vendors after the three-day electronic music festival abruptly collapsed just 10 days before its scheduled opening.
The event was scheduled to take place September 5-7 at Caneadea’s Sugar Mountain Performing Arts Center with performances by Alison Wonderland and Ganja White Night, among others.The organizers of Evolutions announced its “postponement” on August 26th, 2025 and blamed Sugar Mountain for allegedly failing to obtain necessary permits.
At the time, the festival did not provide information about refunds, while its website stated that tickets were nonrefundable even if the festival were cancelled, postponed or rescheduled.That explanation was publicly challenged almost immediately.
Sugar Mountain owner Jeremy Lane said his venue held a standing special-use permit and instead accused Evolutions of failing to provide proof of insurance and finalized arrangements for more than 150 security, medical and sanitation workers.Lane urged affected fans to request refunds and contact the New York Attorney General if those requests went unanswered.
More than a year later, the Attorney General’s office says those refunds largely never came.According to the lawsuit, organizers collected $243,158.04 through 1,157 advance tickets, camping passes and other add-ons purchased by 521 people.
Another 28 small businesses paid a combined $21,662.75 in advance fees to participate in the festival’s planned vendor village.Only 11 of the 521 ticket purchasers ultimately recovered their money, according to the lawsuit, and those refunds reportedly came through disputes filed with credit ca...