1 of 1 Wadden Sea in Cidade do Rep, in Guaratiba — Photo: Reproduction Wadden Sea in Cidade do Rep, in Guaratiba — Photo: Reproduction
Obstetrician Carolina Vitt’s sneakers are still muddy on Saturday in what he describes as one of the worst days of her life. She says she bought two tickets for the premium track at Rep Festival. Five hundred and sixty reais to stay in the mud.
“Mud, lots of mud, dirt, bad smell, lots of that mud smell. As I entered, I encountered several trucks working in the middle. It looked like a construction site. Nothing was finished, the stages weren’t I stayed until 6:30pm and saw a show? I have not seen anything. I was five hours late. No artist had come on the main stage,” said the obstetrician.
Carolina came from Vila Madalena in São Paulo to go to the festival. Promotion of the event began in August last year. In the social networks, the organization promised two festival days with more than 100 attractions on three stages.
On August 9, the profile of the event announced in a publication that the festival would be held in Barra da Tijuca.
“I bought the tickets in November. By then it was supposed to be in Barra, in Cidade das Artes, so I found a hotel nearby and then there were 10 days left for the event and the venue was moved to Guaratiba.” , Carolina recalls.
rain, mud and insects
Pictures taken inside the event show the ground was covered in mud. And it didn’t even rain. Stones were laid on the floor in some parts of the room.
When it rained, it got worse. Student Luiz Fernando Ferreira’s foot was underwater.
“Over time, the environment became unhealthy and the soil gave way. At certain times, people watched with water up to their knees,” he said.
Even a snake appeared in the middle of the audience. One young man even picked up the animal and put it on his shoulder. Images competing online show the snake caught the attention of MC Cabelinho, who was performing on stage.
“People complain that there is a snake in their midst,” the artist said.
On social networks, MC Maneirinho even claimed that the microphone was shocking. During the show, rapper Borges also complained about the organization.
“You asked me not to talk, but I will talk. I don’t care what’s going on,” he told RJ1.
canceled shows
“There were many shows that I wanted to see and that I didn’t see because of the cancellation on the part of the environment, the situation,” emphasizes student Luiz Fernando.
“Dangerous for the artists, dangerous for us, total lack of respect. Dangerous for the workers who worked there at this event. The event didn’t have an ambulance, it wasn’t prepared,” said electrician Nathan Oliveira.
“My daughters had been scheduled to attend since October. My youngest was worried they bought a ticket. Lots of people like in a mud hole and my daughters are traumatized. They said, ‘God in heaven, I’m never going to go to an event like this again because it’s very sad, really sad. A lot of people get sick in the mud,'” says stagehand Renato Dutra.
The other side
The Rep Festival announced that the heavy rains have damaged the structure of the event and that therefore the second day of the festival has been cancelled. The event’s management also said that the cancellation had thought of people’s safety and mobility and that those who bought Sunday’s ticket will be reimbursed.
The event also informed that despite the delay in programming on day one, most shows delivered superbly given the conditions. Regarding the choice of location, Rep Festival said that the change is not an option, but a duty.
Regarding the report of lack of accessibility, the festival stated that each stage had an area for that audience, but access was not possible due to heavy rainfall. The production denied the lack of an ambulance.
Rio City Hall said the production had requested that the event be held at the Olympic Park in May last year and January this year, but both requests were denied.
According to the city hall, the Rep Festival was granted a license to hold the event in Guaratiba as it met all the requirements of the bodies. The municipality clarified that it is not a sponsor of the Rep Festival and does not determine the location where the event will take place.
The fire service said the event had been inspected and approved for fire and panic safety.