The Atlanta music scene took a hit as the annual Music Midtown festival, a staple event since 1994, has been put on pause for 2024. The festival, which normally floods Piedmont Park with fans eager for a mix of hip hop, pop, and rock, announced its hiatus in a brief Instagram post that has left many disappointed, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Without missing a beat, some Atlantans, like Tradell Glass, a loyal attendee, expressed dismay at the unexpected news, describing it as a letdown for the city and pointing out the event's draw for out-of-towners. "I know that a lot of people come out from different states, like my friends from New York," Glass told FOX 5 Atlanta. However, on the flip side, residents such as Jessica Lavandier breathed a sigh of relief to have a break from the commotion, lamenting past disturbances and damage to Piedmont Park. "They privatize the park, they inconvenience the neighbors and then we’re left with a facility that is still not where it was when they arrived," Lavandier explained to FOX 5 Atlanta.
The festival's intermittent past includes a hiatus that began in 2006 and stretched for six years before Music Midtown returned with a splash in 2011, lighting up the city's cultural calendar annually until the coronavirus pandemic brought a temporary halt in 2020, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It's not new territory for the festival, which made its post-pandemic comeback in 2021, only to hit another snag in 2022 due to legal issues over gun control policy at public events.
Despite uncertainties surrounding the 2024 hiatus, live music supporters are encouraged to keep their spirits high and their ears open for future updates. Last year's comeback featured heavy-hitters like P!nk, Billie Eilish, Guns N' Roses and Atlanta-born rapper Lil Baby, a testament to the festival's ability to reel in top-tier talent to the heart of Georgia. Attempts to reach Music Midtown organizers or LiveNation for additional comments have been met with silence leaving fans in limbo, wondering what precipitated the decision to hit pause once again, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
