New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking the organizers of Evolutions Festival to court over more than $243,000 in ticket sales for its canceled 2025 event, claiming the promoters never issued refunds to hundreds of customers.
The electronic music festival was scheduled to take place from September 5th-7th, 2025, at Sugar Mountain Performing Arts Center in Caneadea, New York, with Alison Wonderland, Of The Trees, and Ganja White Night atop the lineup. Ten days before the event, organizers announced it would not move forward.
According to James’ office, Evolutions sold 1,157 tickets and passes to 521 customers, bringing in $243,158.04 ahead of the event. Another 28 businesses spent more than $21,000 to participate as vendors. The attorney general alleges that the festival never voluntarily returned those funds. Eleven customers eventually recovered a combined $5,005.97 by disputing charges with their credit card companies, but the lawsuit claims the organizers themselves “failed to issue a single refund.”
“Concertgoers and vendors who spend their hard-earned money in New York should know that my office has their back,” James said. “My office will never allow unsavory promoters to ruin that experience and take advantage of consumers or small business owners.”
Responsibility for the festival’s cancellation is currently the subject of a separate legal fight. Evolutions initially blamed Sugar Mountain Performing Arts Center, saying the venue had failed to obtain permits necessary to hold the event. The venue rejected that account and accused organizers of failing to supply required documentation, including contracts and proof of liability insurance. Evolutions later sued Sugar Mountain, maintaining that the venue did not have adequate permits for the expected crowd and lacked proper authorization for alcohol sales. That dispute remains unresolved.
James’ lawsuit alleges that Evolutions later told the attorney general’s office that it intended to refund customers only if it recovered money through its case against Sugar Mountain. New York officials argue that approach conflicts with the state’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which requires promoters to protect advance ticket earnings through escrow or other financial arrangements that allow customers to be reimbursed if an event does not take place.
The attorney general is seeking restitution for ticket buyers and vendors, as well as civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each of 1,185 alleged violations. If the maximum penalty were imposed on every count, the total could be nearly $6 million. James is also asking the court to prevent the organizers from staging additional events in New York until they post a $500,000 performance bond. Evolutions Festival LLC, 845 Vibrations LLC, Michael G. Brown, and Justin J. Brown are the named defendants.
