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Atlanta Wine & Jazz Festival postponed again
Would-be attendees of the 2024 Atlanta Wine and Jazz Festival say they're fed up after the event that was supposed to take place in May has been rescheduled yet again. This time, organizers say they'll push it back to August 2025.
ATLANTA - Some metro Atlanta residents who purchased tickets to the Atlanta Wine and Jazz Festival say they are frustrated after organizers postponed the event for a fourth time since its original date in May, and ultimately pushed it to next August.
One ticket holder tells FOX 5 that at this point, she’d prefer a refund.
"I’m just at a loss," Tiah Doggett said. "I just want my money back."
Doggett says she was looking forward to attending the third annual Atlanta Wine and Jazz Festival, but the event that was originally set to happen at Piedmont Park on May 4 had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather just days before.
"I’ve never been, so I was really excited about going—my husband and I both—you know, make it a little date night," she explained.
From there, Doggett tells FOX 5 the event was rescheduled to Sept. 8. Shortly after, it was changed to Aug. 24, and then they were told the date was changed to Oct. 12 at Grant Park due to some permitting issues. Ultimately, the festival wouldn’t happen at all this year.
"We got an email stating that due to 30% of the people requesting their money back, it had to be postponed to August of next year," she explained.
In a Facebook post, organizers cited a high number of people trying to go directly through their banks for refunds despite a firm "no refund" policy.
"I just, I couldn’t believe that the promoter was putting the blame on the people, who at this point, have no faith that this is even going to happen. There was no accountability at all," Doggett stated.
She says when she reached out to organizers, she got no response and was told by her bank that because the event was postponed and not canceled, there was nothing they could do.
Comments on the festival’s Facebook page have also been limited.
"The tickets, they ranged from general admission to the thousands, depending on where exactly you were gonna be seated," Doggett explained.
While organizers said tickets purchased this year would be honored next year, Doggett says she feels everyone should’ve been given the option for a refund with such a drastic change in dates.
"For those people who have [gotten] their money back, good for them. But for those who have not, it’s just, I just feel like my money is being held captive," she said.
Doggett tells FOX 5 if she doesn’t get her refund, she plans to take this to small claims court.
FOX 5 has reached out to organizers with the Atlanta Wine and Jazz Festival for comment on this. We’re still waiting to hear back.