Sao Paulo
ProconRJ, the consumer protection and defense program, can fine the organizers of the REP festival up to R$ 12 million for the series of failures committed on the first day of the event, which takes place this Saturday (11th) in took place in the western zone were recorded by Rio de Janeiro.
The heavy rains that fell on the city turned the festival, the country’s biggest rap event, into a huge morass.
The shows, which took place on a farm in Guaratiba, have been postponed or cancelled. Several artists pulled out of the performance at the last minute, claiming that they were risking their lives in the conditions created by the event’s production.
Dirty people cursed the organization of the event and even spotted snakes and tree frogs in the middle of the mud.
This issue made the Procon RJ Institute a sanctioning action against the organizers of the event, ie a procedure that could result in the payment of fines.
The agency says it has received complaints from regulars about the festival’s poor infrastructure. They also reported difficulties with accessibility, delays in bus schedules and at the start of concerts.
“According to the CDC, the Consumer Defense Code, fines for violations of consumer protection and defense rules are calculated based on the seriousness of the violation, the economic size of the provider and the benefit achieved. Depending on these criteria, they can be up to 12 million reais,” the agency said in a note. The defense period is 15 days.
This Monday (13th), Rafael Liporace, one of the organizers of the event, spoke on social networks about the succession of failures at the REP Festival.
According to him, the organizers were informed a month before the event about “possible problems” at the Olympic Park, where the REP was originally scheduled to take place.
The entrepreneur also claims that the production tried to clarify the situation, explaining that the town hall only requested the room change. The maneuver resulted in the group being moved to Guaratiba west of the city at the last minute.
The promoter also says it was this scenario that caused the chaos on Saturday, when audiences were engulfed in mud and shows were delayed or canceled due to poor structure.
“We tried to do our best, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. The equation of changing locations plus rain meant that the 2023 edition of the REP Festival wasn’t the best.”